


Darker Perspective

by DysfunctionalRequest



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Complete, Dark Dipper Pines, Dark Magic, Demon Dipper Pines, Demons, Dipper joins Bill, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Evil Dipper, Friendship, Gen, Gore, Heavy Angst, Hurt Dipper Pines, I can’t tag, Insanity, Mabel and Dipper are older, Magic, Murder, PLEASE GIVE IT A GO, Unhappy Ending, Weirdmageddon, eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 32,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24387301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DysfunctionalRequest/pseuds/DysfunctionalRequest
Summary: Set after the events of “Not What He Seems.”“Grunkle Stan, I trust you.”The words struck hard in Dipper’s heart and he knows that something has changed between him and Mabel after that day.Hurt and alone, Dipper gets a visit from Bill in his dreams. The demon offers him an offer that he has trouble refusing: magic.And so Dipper begins to learn the true secrets of magic with the help of Bill, someone who once was an enemy to him.AKA a story where Dipper joins Bill, and Bill grows to like Dipper and sees him as more than a regular human.Also, the twins are aged up to 15.
Relationships: Bill Cipher & Dipper Pines, Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines
Comments: 85
Kudos: 340





	1. Trust

**Okay, please tell me what you think as this is my first Gravity Falls thing. Thanks ;)**

“ _Grunkle Stan…I trust you_.”  
Dipper narrowed his eyes in the darkness, his head still pounding from the day prior. Mabel’s quiet voice still echoed in his mind, her teary face imprinted in his eyes as she broke the bond that he thought was unbreakable.  
“I trust you.”  
Not him. Stan.   
Dipper wasn’t usually the one to hold grudges; in fact, he found them annoying and pointless. But the way Mabel was now acting as if nothing had happened was frustrating to say in the least. Someone who he would trust with his life never trusted him back as much as a man they had only met a few months ago.   
Dipper sighed, tearing his gaze away from the dark ceiling to look at the stars. They calmed his racing heart a little, slowed his churning thoughts. He always had liked stars, ironically matching his namesake. He closed his eyes for a while, relishing in the sweet silence of the night. He wondered how big the universe was – after all, Grunkle Ford has been to many places he never knew existed. He reminded himself to ask his relative tomorrow, amongst all the other questions he had carefully written down for that moment.   
Despite his sinking mood, he felt himself lighten up at the thought of finally meeting the author in person. Ford hadn’t spoken much throughout the rest of the evening, but Dipper figured that it was because he was so tired. He had talked about this meeting over and over with Mabel –   
And just as quickly as it began, his slightly more optimistic mood faded at the mention of his twin. Dipper looked away from the stars, twisting the hem of his shirt.   
Mabel gave a small snort in her sleep, breaking the silence that Dipper was relaxing in. He glared over at her, hurt and betrayal still glistening from his eyes in the darkness. His sister wasn’t even having trouble sleeping like him. Did she know what she had done? Does she realise how much she hurt Dipper?   
_Of course she does_ , Dipper thought guiltily, shifting in his bed. His sister knew him too well to know that (he hoped). But then, why hadn’t she brung it up? Why wasn’t she staying up, like Dipper, and thinking about what had happened?  
The thoughts hurt Dipper’s head, so he quickly tried to remove them. He stared up into the darkness again, eventually falling asleep to the steady ticking of the clock. 

~

Dipper knew he was in the mindscape as soon as he opened his eyes. He cursed under his breath, kicking the greyscale ground. He hoped that the demon wouldn’t show up as the time dragged on, but a loud shout echoed through the room from behind him.  
“Pine Tree! Long time no see!”   
Dipper jumped, stumbling backwards as Bill rose from the ground. The triangle was twisting his cane, which was ignited with blue fire.  
“Get away from me Bill!” Dipper shouted. He aimed to sound braver, but he even knew that he failed miserably. Bill laughed, the ground trembling with the noise.  
“That’s funny! It almost sounded as if you were in control there! Ha!” Bill flipped in the air and hovered over to Dipper. The brunette tripped on his own feet, falling onto the ground as Bill floated above him. The demon was giving him a strange look, as if he was being x-rayed. Dipper felt his arms begin to tremble.   
“I don’t want anything to do with you!” Dipper yelled. Bill only laughed louder.  
“Come on! I’m giving you the deal of a lifetime!”   
“I don’t want any deals Bill! You always trick me!” Dipper spat, getting to his feet.   
“This is a good deal, I promise.” Bill tried to persuade. “Just hear me out.”   
“No.” Dipper replied firmly. Bill gave a chuckle, smacking his cane on Dipper’s head.  
“You didn’t have a choice.” The demon’s eye turned red as his voice grew deeper. Dipper sprang backwards, but in the next second Bill’s eye has turned back to normal.  
“You see kid, like it or not I’m actually trying to help you here.” Bill began. A chair suddenly appeared out of thin air and he sat on it. Dipper watched as the demon twirled his cane around in his fingers, leaning back. “You have potential. Lots of it.”  
“You just want to use me!” Dipper snapped. Despite his attitude, he felt a small part of his curiosity grow. Bill wasn’t the type to admit things like that, and Dipper was left wondering what the demon actually wanted in the long run.  
“Me?! No way!” Bill said, rolling his eye. “Have a little faith.” Dipper glared at Bill, rolling his eyes. “Okay. I see where you are coming from. I guess possessing you isn’t a nice introduction?”   
Dipper didn’t answer, glaring harder.   
“Look, my point is that I want to teach you magic.” Bill said, crossing his arms.  
“No way!” Dipper cried out, shaking his head. “I know how this is going to end! You get me to do your dirty work, betray my family then leave me once you’ve done!”   
“No way!” Bill replied unconvincingly.   
“You just want me to put my family in danger so you can gain more power!” Dipper watched as Bill narrowed his eye. He floated back into the air, the chair bursting into flames under him.  
“Why shouldn’t you betray them?” He asked quietly. Dipper, caught off guard by this question, stuttered over his words.   
“Because they care about me - they’re family –“ Bill interrupted with a loud cackle.   
“You think they care?! Really?! Mabel sure has a strange way of showing it!”   
The mindscape suddenly tilted and flicked, the surroundings changing before Dipper’s eyes. They were now in his shared bedroom, staring down at Mabel’s sleeping form.   
“She doesn’t even realise that she betrayed you Pine Tree.” Bill said. “I can bet you anything that tomorrow she’ll act like nothing happened, that it’s okay.” Dipper stared down at his sibling, and was shocked to find anger and hurt bubbling inside him. She looked so peaceful, and in that moment he couldn’t help but agree with Bill, because he knew what would happen. He already did, but wanted to believe that she would change.   
“But this isn’t the first time, is it?” Bill asked. His triangle body began to project each time Mabel had put her needs before his, the times he dropped everything to make her smile. He watched as Mabel did the same thing over and over again, not even thanking Dipper for his sacrifice.   
He turned his gaze back to the sleeping Mabel, his thoughts running wild.  
“If I’ve learnt anything from watching your small life unfold it’s that your twin over there isn’t really standing by your side like you promised each other.” Bill said, watching her beside him. Dipper shook his head suddenly.  
“You want me to feel this way – Mabel does care about me! Of course she does! It’s just sometimes she can be kinda…”  
“Selfish? Arrogant? Meddling?” Bill suggested. Dipper didn’t reply.   
Their surroundings flickered like a dying television screen, and suddenly they were standing outside the shack, beside a lake.  
Bill spoke again into the silence.  
“The universe is a large place Pine Tree.” He began. “A large place means larger betrayals to your own universe. You can either try and ignore it, keep your universe going and thriving, only to get it ripped away again. Or you could just eliminate the source altogether. Just know this: at the end of the day, no one will know the full impact of their actions on yourself.” The demon gave a chuckle. “Oh, they’ll _try_ , they’ll say they do - but when it comes to the crunch, they’d rather just bury their heads in the stars.”  
Dipper looked up at the stars in the sky, watching them fade as the sun began to rise.  
“The answer is still no Bill.” Dipper said, looking back down at his own reflection in the pond. He watched his features harden, eyes narrowing. “I don’t trust you. You’re just trying to manipulate me.” He said. Bill shrugged beside him.   
“Suit yourself. But you’ll see.” The world began to crumple around them, the ground shaking under their feet.  
“They always do.” Bill whispered, eye flashing red again.   
The ground beneath Dipper caved in, and the teen yelled as he began falling through the air. Bill was gone.

~

Dipper gasped as he woke up, limbs flailing. Breathing heavily, he was pleased to find himself back in his room. He let out a sigh of relief, flopping back into his bed. It was then he noticed an untidy scrawl on the back of his hand that hadn’t been their the night before. It was written in red pen.  
_Trust No One._


	2. Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day starts for Dipper, and he is left thinking about what Bill told him

_Trust No One_  
Dipper stared at his hand blankly for a few minutes, the red ink printing in his mind. He swore he could hear Bill’s cackle still in his ears, making him shiver.   
Mabel was still asleep, blissfully unaware of the events that had just unfolded. Dipper desperately wanted to tell her what had happened, where he was – but the thought died as quickly as it had came like a tug of the wind. Instead, he threw his sheets off himself and stood up angrily.  
“Fuck this.” He muttered. He uncurled the hand again and glared at the letters. “I can’t believe I even listened to that guy. He’s a dick.”   
In one exaggerated movement, Dipper flung himself out of his room and to the bathroom. The wooden door slammed with a loud bang and he cringed at the sudden noise.   
“Dipper? Was that you?”   
Dipper sighed, muttering a curse. Out of all the people that he could’ve woken up, his sister was his last choice. The small, bitter feeling that had ran through his heart yesterday resurfaced. He found himself not answering her call.   
Dipper turned the tap on violently, the cold water jetting out and into his waiting hand. To his displeasure, the ink stubbornly stayed on his skin.  
“Dipper? I’m going to open up if you don’t answer me…” Mabel giggled at the other side of the door. Even now, she found everything a joke; a flare of anger caused Dipper to slam his fists against the porcelain sink.   
“I’m fine, Mabel!” He spat. He dunked his hand under the water again, scrubbing his skin harder.   
“You don’t sound fine. Has someone got the morning grumps?” Mabel continued to tease. The water sprayed all over the bathroom floor, drenching the tiles.  
“Yeah Mabel. Sure. The “Morning Grumps”” Dipper said through clenched teeth. The sarcasm was lost on his sister. He heard her giggle again, running back to their room.   
Dipper turned the water off, breathing deeply. His aggression ebbed away and he rubbed his temples.   
“Stupid Bill making me loose sleep…like I had enough in the first place.” He muttered, looking up at the mirror. He had dark circles under his eyes. He could already hear Mabel calling him a panda. Sighing, he turned his hand over, staring at the red ink.   
“I can’t let them see this.” He thought of Ford in particular, who would know where exactly he got the words from – even if he didn’t write them on his hand himself.   
Some of the dead weight in his chest (it had been there ever since Mabel said those words) seemed to lessen at the thought of his new grunkle. A smile broke from his lips as he thought of the range of questions that he could ask the author. Even if they weren’t all answered, just meeting the guy properly was enough to make his chest flip.   
“This is going to be so cool…” Dipper looked at his reflection in the mirror, pointing at it. “Don’t mess this up Dipper.”   
He opened the bathroom cabinet, pulling out the tattered bandages Grunkle Stan had stored. He wrapped the marked hand in one, figuring it was a good solution until he thought of a way to get the pen off. Again, he cursed Bill for his strange sense of humour.   
Dipper left the bathroom a few minutes after, and after pulling on his clothes, he headed downstairs to the dining area.   
Mabel was already at the table, pouring dangerous levels of sugar onto her cereal. Usually, Dipper would be amused by her antics but her carefree attitude only dug the knife deeper into his chest. Sighing, he grabbed a slice of toast and shuffled into his chair.   
“Geez kid, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Stan commented through a mouthful of breakfast. Dipper rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer.   
It was strange – he really didn’t agree with what Bill had been trying to tell him last night, but his words were making him see his family in a different light.   
Dipper immediately discarded the thought, disgusted at himself. He really needed to find a way to get Bill out of his hair.   
“Hey Dipping Sauce, what’s with the panda eyes?” Mabel asked. She leaned over the table, braces glinting in the sunlight. Dipper scowled, annoyance bubbling to the surface.  
Did she really not know what she had done to him?  
To be fair, it wasn’t the first time Mabel had been unaware of any feelings but her own – but this was different. She chose Stan, the one she had only known for a summer. Dipper had been with Mabel for fifteen years.   
But Mabel either didn’t care or didn’t realise. Her finger poked his cheek, making him flinch.   
“Whoa Dipper…what’s gotten into you this morning?” His twin asked curiously.   
“Do you not know?!” Dipper finally burst out. He stood up suddenly, knocking his chair back and jostling the table. His yell was more of a snarl, and Mabel jumped. For once, Dipper didn’t feel the crushing guilt as he saw hurt reflect in her brown eyes.   
“Know what?” His sisters eyes were sparkling with tears of shock at the sudden outburst. Dipper found that he didn’t care as much as he usually would.   
“You say those words and you don’t even realise how big they are?! What they meant to me?!” Dipper yelled louder, breathing heavily. Grunkle Stan paused from his eating, watching them carefully.   
“What words Dipper? What did I do?” Mabel was close to tears, shaking her head. Grunkle Stan stood up.  
“Dipper, that enough –“  
“No!” Dipper slammed his fists down on the table with a shout. The drinks rocked and spilt over the wood. “You make me fucking sick Mabel!”   
“Dipper –“ Stan warmed him but he was ignored. Trust him to take Mabel’s side.  
“You don’t give a shit about anyone do you?! Are you going to keep doing this, keep fucking me over and not even apologising?!” Dipper dug his nails into the wood, fighting back his own tears. “Well who needs trust, right? Why don’t you throw some other people under the bus while your at it, it’s never stopped you before!”  
“Dipper –“  
“Fuck you Mabel! You make me fucking sick!”  
“Dipper Pines stop this right now!” Stan yelled. Dipper looked over at his tense grunkle, who only had eyes for his tearful sister.   
Mabel was crying, hands trembling on her lap. Her face reflected shock and hurt, staring up at him with wide eyes. Dipper felt a twinge of guilt, but pushed it away.   
The vending machine door suddenly opened, and Grunkle Ford came out of the entrance. His face was gruff and serious, but it quickly changed to confusion after seeing the scene in front of him.   
“Dipper, get to your room.” Grunkle Stan growled out. Dipper glared at him. Of course, it was all Dipper’s fault. There was never any reasoning behind his anger, was there?   
Angrily, he stomped back upstairs, slamming the door behind him.   
Dipper sat on his bed, running a hand down his face. His anger ebbed away, leaving the burning feeling of sadness in its wake. He sighed, lying down on the soft covers and staring up at the ceiling.   
Maybe he had been too harsh with Mabel – he knew better than anyone that she acted on instinct and not logic – but he felt like part of him was missing after those words. The betray was more of a catalyst for his anger. It was like Bill had told him – after everything he’d sacrificed for her, she would never do the same.  
“Why am I taking anything that Bill says seriously?” Dipper muttered, shaking his head. Still, his mind drifted back to the offer.   
“Dipper, you know what will happen. He wants you to feel like this.” Dipper told himself. Still, it wasn’t Bill that had made him feel so lost.  
For the first time, he briefly wondered whether Bill was right. 


	3. Glimpses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper finally gets to get to speak to Ford alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone know how to keep formatted text when I post a chapter? I copy and paste it into the “Rich Text” like it says I should but it always looses its format and it’s really annoying me.  
> Any answers would be great :)

_Dipper was floating above Gravity Falls, but it wasn’t Gravity Falls anymore – everything was lying in chaotic ruin. Instead of twisting guilt and sadness he felt a strange feeling of happiness, euphoria: power.  
The world was silent, and he liked it. Liked his own work._  
“Dipper...”  
_Dipper blinked at the name catching softly in the wind. He pushed it back._  
“Dipper?”  
“ _This could all be yours, Pine Tree!” Dipper instantly recognised the voice as Bill, and snapped his head upwards in an attempt to search for him.  
The world began to crumble and glitch under his feet, turning into white static. _  
“Dipper!”  
_“Who needs those guys, anyway? Not you! Not me!” Bill cackled. Whatever was holding Dipper in the air broke, and he tumbled down into the black abyss._  
“Dipper!”

Dipper woke up with a start, sitting up from the slouch on his desk. Breathing heavily, he stared at the wall in front of him, his mind racing.   
“Dipper...” Someone was knocking on the door. Mabel.   
_What was that dream?_ Dipper ignored Mabel’s call, furrowing his brow. The dream came back to him in fractured pieces like glass shards. However, the main thing he (regretfully) did remember was feeling happy at the sight of destruction. It left a bad taste in his mouth.  
“Bill stay out of my head!” Dipper yelled out loud, unaware that Mabel was still at the door.  
“What?” Mabel asked immediately. Dipper cursed quietly, stumbling over his words. He was never good at lying.  
“It’s nothing Mabel!” He shouted, slightly panicked. As he grew more awake, his negative feelings towards his sister returned – though not as strong as before. Colder, he asked, “What do you want?”  
“I just…” Mabel sighed behind the door. “I wanted to say…”   
Dipper looked over at the door, holding his breath.  
“…that Grunkle Stan wants you to come back down and do some chores.”   
Dipper’s face dropped, the small ray of hope being lost in a second. With an empty heart, he stood up and pulled on his jacket.  
“Alright.” He sighed, stretching. He heard Mabel pause at the door for a few more seconds before moving away.   
Dipper followed soon after, the dream slipping out of his mind between leaving his room and walking down the stairs. His shoes scuffed against the wooden boards as he entered the main room, finding Stan in his chair.  
“Finally.” He grunted in greeting. Dipper didn’t say anything. “Now, what was this morning about?” He asked in a harder tone.   
Dipper gritted his teeth, looking away. It was more than likely that his Grunkle wouldn’t understand, or say he was overreacting. But for Dipper this was much more than a “big deal”. It was like he was slowly getting torn in half – one half being angry and violent, and the other sad and alone.   
“You gonna answer?” Grunkle Stan asked. Dipper folded his arms.   
“I don’t need to.” Dipper muttered. In response, his Grunkle sighed.  
“Apologise to her.”   
“No.”  
Stan blinked, shocked at the hard certainty in his voice.  
“Dipper –“ he warned, but Dipper shook his head, cutting him off.  
“I’m not apologising.” He answered firmly.   
“Well then you’re grounded!” Stan shouted.   
“Fine!” Dipper yelled back. The room moved into silence, only filled by heavy breathing from the two.   
“Go take this to Ford.” Stan spoke first. Dipper watched as Stan pulled out a strange gadget out of his pocket. “Then come straight back to me for some work. Got that?” He added angrily. Dipper nodded, snatching the gadget from his hands.   
He studied it carefully as he went to the secret room, marvelling at the many functions it seemed to have. His chest had also seemed to loose some of his weight at the thought of finally getting to speak to his new Grunkle alone. For the first time in a while, Dipper began to feel happier, like he had done when he first came to Gravity Falls – before the day of the portal.   
“Okay Dipper, keep it cool. Ask the small questions first.” He muttered to himself, hopping down the last step.   
He saw Grunkle Ford immediately in the centre of the room. He was staring at the portal, shaking his head.  
“Grunkle Ford?” Dipper asked into the silence. Grunkle Ford didn’t look in Dipper’s direction, but spoke to him.  
“What is it...err…” Ford turned to him, furrowing his brows.  
“Dipper.” Dipper moved closer. “Everyone calls me Dipper.”   
“Yes! Dipper!” Ford spotted the item in his hands and strode over to him quickly. “Where did you get this? It’s dangerous!”   
Dipper, who already figured out some of its functions, didn’t see it as a dangerous thing. But he handed it to Ford hastily anyway.  
“Grunkle Stan told me to give it to you.” Dipper muttered.   
Ford hummed, peering at it.  
“Well thank you, you can go now.” He said unexpectedly, turning away from Dipper again. Dipper didn’t leave, wanting some answers.   
“Actually, could I ask some questions? About you? The books?” Dipper asked. Grunkle Ford didn’t even spare him a glance.   
“No.” He said immediately. He fiddled with the gadget in his hands.   
Dipper felt his heart sink slightly.   
“Not even one?” Dipper asked quietly.   
“Look, I don’t have time for childish questions right now, okay?” Ford told him harshly with his back turned. “You can leave now.”   
Dipper stared at Ford, hurt gracing his features.  
“I could help you –“ he began, but a Ford interrupted him.  
“Not a chance! You could get yourself killed!” The author dismissed him, waving his hand away.  
Dipper stood at the step, staring at the man with hurt. Like a great tide, any positive feeling that had bloomed because of this man washed away. He slowly turned, moving back up the stairs. The world was crumbling around him, and he was wondering how long he could keep it together.  
“You done that?” Grunkle Stan asked as soon as Dipper was within ear shot. He took Dipper’s silence as a confirmation. “Go chop the wood outside – and no running off. You’re being punished.”   
Dipper sighed, grabbing the axe and stepping outside. The birds sang around him, but he found that not even they could lift his spirits like they usually would. 

~

“Well well well, look what we have here!” Bill sang to himself, peering through the shadows. Though only a black shape on the wall, the demon still could see Dipper chopping wood, shoulders slumped.   
“I didn’t ask for his family to be assholes, but it makes my plan easier.” He told himself (a habit that had never really left him). He watched Dipper closer, humming.  
Dipper, unlike Ford or the rest of his stupid family, had magical capabilities that even baffled him. The sign was clear as day, and yet the humans ignored it.   
The birthmark.  
Humans were dumber than he ever thought – how did they think that a birthmark like that was natural?   
Well - spoilers - it wasn’t.   
Like Ford’s extra fingers, it was a sign of magical potential – far greater than anyone he had ever seen. A star constellation on the skin was something he had only heard of until he met Dipper for a second time and caught sight of it.   
“Magic like that would be a great asset to me! I could start Weirdmageddon way earlier than expected!” Bill looked over to Dipper’s sister, who was happily playing with her pig. Not a care in the world for her troubled brother.  
“I kinda feel sorry for him.” Bill muttered. He chuckled. “Oh well.”   
Bill left the physical world, cackling.   
He would wait for Dipper in the mindscape tonight.  



	4. Beginnings

The sun shone down on Dipper’s back as he slowly chopped the wood. The teen sighed, turning his head towards the sky and letting the wind tug at his locks. His Big Dipper birth mark flashed into view before retreating under the mop of hair.

Working alone like this often let Dipper have some thinking time to himself, and this day was no exception. As Mabel played with her pig, he was having a battle in his own mind of loyalties and curiosity. He knew that Bill was up to something – this was Bill for Christ’s Sake – but he was just wondering when the demon would strike.

“Magic.” Dipper muttered. The word left a tingling sensation on his tongue, his blood warming under his skin. It was too good to be true, however; the likelihood that Bill would use Dipper as a puppet later on was a big one, so the teen decided to ignore him.

“He’s just a manipulative triangle, he doesn’t care – ouch!” Dipper suddenly cried out as a hot pain erupted from his hand. He looked down and saw blood leaking through the bandaged palm. He had caught it on the edge of the axe whilst he was busy in his thoughts.

“Well now at least I have an excuse to keep this thing on” Dipper laughed humorously, staring at the hand for a while longer. The pain was great at pulling his attention away from the rest of his emotions, so he let it bleed for a while before deciding that he didn’t want it staining his clothes.

Not that anyone had noticed. Mabel was still playing with Waddles, not sparing him a glance at his shout of pain. He thought that she would at least ask whether he needed help, but she stayed oblivious to his suffering.

Dipper stood beside the log, axe in his hand, and watched her laugh in front of him. Blood steadily dipped onto his shoe as Dipper slowly began to crumble. Though his face remained lax, his insides turned cold and numb.

_Does she even care?_

Dipper felt his feet steer him in the direction of the shack, dropping the axe on the ground with a soft thump. He pushed open the wooden door with his injured hand, leaving a bloody handprint.

He walked past Grunkle Stan and to the kitchen. Wincing, he ripped of the bloody bandage, watching the blood fall onto the counter. The words “Trust No One” were more stark than ever, glistening on his hand. The injury cut clean through them. Dipper blinked at it for a few more seconds before thrusting it under the cold tap, the water feeling like nails hitting his skin. Dipper let out a small cry as the water leaked into the slash. He quickly retracted it, wrapping another bandage around it and hiding it from view.

Blood was swirling at the bottom of the water in the sink like ink, twisting into patterns and spirals. Dipper watched as the shapes changed slowly, morphing into a familiar triangle –

“No!” Dipper yelled, splashing the water over the counter. The shape was lost in the ripples. “Bill, I said leave me alone!” He hissed quietly at the water. Unsurprisingly, there was no response. Dipper sighed.

“Now I’m talking to water.” He grabbed a towel and began to clean up. “Stupid deal. Stupid Bill.”

Dipper turned around and unexpectedly bumped into a large chest. He stumbled back, finding himself looking up at Ford and wondering just how much the author had heard.

“Who were you talking to?” Ford asked. No greeting. No “sorry I didn’t see you there Dipper”. Dipper looked away from him.

“Myself.” Dipper said tonelessly. To Dipper, it would make more sense to tell Ford about his problem – he did know of Bill after all – but he chose not to. He couldn’t. Not after the way he rejected him, seeing him as a waste of time. He didn’t feel comfortable sharing a personal problem with him. He could deal with it himself.

“Hey. I was talking to you.” Ford interrupted his thoughts, and Dipper couldn’t help but feel annoyance at the arrogant way he demanded attention.

“I wasn’t listening.” The teen answered. He watched Ford roll his eyes.

“I was saying whether you’ve been having any strange dreams lately.” Ford’s eyes bore into his, and Dipper knew at that point that he had heard at least a part of what he was saying. They were filled with suspicion and mistrust.

“What do you mean, strange? All dreams are strange.” Dipper answered.

“Ones with triangles. Strange deals.” The author pressed. Dipper ignored his burning gaze, looking away from his eyes.

“No.” Dipper had never been good at lying, and trusted his voice not to give it away. Fortunately, Ford didn’t know him that well, and was satisfied with the answer.

“Tell me if you do.” He said gruffly, turning on his heel and walking out again. Dipper sighed, following him once he was sure the counter was clean.

He noticed the triangular shadow following his steps, but chose to ignore it.

~

“Hey Dipping Sauce!”

The voice pulled Dipper from his thoughts, making him pause his mindless page flicking of the third journal. He looked away from the writing, finding Mabel at the bedroom doorway.

Dipper didn’t talk to her, shutting the book with a snap.

“We just thought that you might want to watch some tv with us…” Mabel suggested, sentence trailing off as Dipper refused to look at her, staring out at the darkening sky.

“Dipper –“

“I don’t want to. I’m good here.” Dipper replied coldly. He heard Mabel shift uneasily on her feet for a second before leaving. Dipper looked back at the door, sighing.

He tossed the journal to the side, lying down on the bed. He missed talking to Mabel, but he couldn’t forget. He would only be pretending.

Dipper let his eyes fall closed, the light of the moon the last thing he saw before blackness.

Well, should’ve been the last thing he saw.

“And I’m in the Mindscape. Great.” Dipper looked down at his monochrome self, noting that the bandage covering his hand had been removed.

He really wasn’t in the mood for more of Bill’s mind games, hoping that sleep would help him forget for a while. So when the dream demon hovered in front of him, he was promptly ignored.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Bill asked as Dipper made his way out of the dream Mystery Shack and onto the ledge on the roof. He sat down, leaning back against the cold tiles.

“Well look who’s down in the dumps!” Bill cackled, rising into the air. Dipper rested his head in his hands.

“Go away Bill. Not tonight.” He looked past the triangle and to the sky, where the Big Dipper was twinkling.

“You think you can get me to go away with a few words? How cute!” The dream demon laughed. He pulled off his hat, making the world tilt for a few seconds. “Hats off to you!”

“Just leave me alone!” Dipper shouted, trying to swipe the triangle away. Bill danced out of his reach, folding his arms.

“No can do! Not when I could teach you the secrets of the universe!” Bill persuaded. “Imagine knowing and being able to do things that you could only dream of! You’d be beyond human!”

Dipper let his head fall in his hands, shoulders slumping. He didn’t listen to what Bill had said, too trapped in his own mind.

The mindscape around him was darkening, black ink blotting the ground and sky. Dipper didn’t notice.

“Wow kid! You really have some issues tonight, don’t you?” Bill asked in a slightly quieter tone, staring at the black mess around them. Dipper looked up, spotting the same thing.

“Why is it…all…”

“Decaying? This is your mind, not mine.” Bill shrugged, looking around curiously.

Dipper watched the sky get attacked by the same blackness, the Big Dipper getting hidden away.

“It’s not my fault!” Dipper suddenly burst out as he watched the constellation get covered up. Bill looked at him strangely. “It can’t be! Right? I haven’t done anything wrong to them! I’ve tried…” Dipper’s shouts quietened to a whisper. “…I’ve tried everything but it doesn’t work…I might as well just not exist.”

“Err…Pine Tree? Ready to talk deals yet?” Bill asked with a hint of unease in his voice. Dipper shook his head, hiding his face in his arms.

The demon floated in the sky, watching Dipper in confusion. His eye flickered between a few colours and images for a few seconds as his mind was at war with what to do next.

“Well…want some advice?” Bill eventually asked into the silence. Dipper looked up in caution.

“Why would I want your advice? You’re probably going to make another deal or something.” He replied. Bill shrugged.

“Not this time.” The demon straitened his bow tie before continuing. “I’ve seen this all before, you’re nothing new. Your sister is being stupid? So what? Let her figure it out. Grunkles being dicks? Let them be dicks.”

Dipper looked at Bill in confusion, not understanding what he was trying to say. Bill sighed.

“What I’m trying to say is get a hobby to take your mind off things. That’s a human thing, isn’t it?” The demon asked. Dipper nodded, but then scowled at the demon.

“Let me guess, that hobby is magic?” He asked angrily. Bill flipped in the air, a cane appearing in his hand.

“That would be my first choice, but seeing as you seem to hate the idea so much, I’d suggest drawing or something stupid like that.” The demon’s voice no longer held its echo, and it was softer, as if talking to a real person.

The idea wasn’t half bad, Dipper concluded, but for the advice to come from Bill Cipher was strange to say in the least. The teen could only wonder what the demon was up to.

But, looking back up at the demon, Dipper saw that he was as confused as he was about the change; the triangle was now babbling on about world domination to try and cover his tracks.

The topic was simply too strange for Dipper to think about, and luckily his thoughts were interrupted by a shake that made him stumble.

“Looks like your about to wake up!” Bill’s voice was ringing again, the echo making his ears hurt. “Just remember: Reality is an illusion! The universe is a hologram! Buy gold! Bye!”

The world suddenly shone a bright white and Dipper found himself back in his bed, the morning light shining through his triangular window.


	5. Shards

Breathing heavily, Dipper closed his eyes, Bill still in his mind. Below him, sounds of chatter and general clutter echoed, notifying him that Grunkle Stan was awake at least.

The teen crawled out of his bed and onto the ledge of the window. The triangle shone light directly on him, and without realising Dipper leant onto the cool glass.

“Why was he nicer to me.” Dipper muttered to himself. He stared down at his hands, one sticky with unwashed blood (a danger for infection if he’d ever seen one, but he couldn’t bring himself to care).

Was the demon tricking him? Or was it something more sinister? Instinct told Dipper it was the latter, and usually he would listen to it – but for the first time his heart pulled in the opposite direction, the long extinguished flame of hope flickering inside of him.

Dipper groaned loudly, grabbing his hair with his hands and pulling on it in frustration.

“Why can’t he just give me a straight answer?!” He yelled.

“Dipper? Breakfast is ready.”

Dipper jumped, stumbling to his feet quickly. He relaxed when he saw it was only his sister.

“Yeah. Right.” Dipper looked back towards the window, deep in thought. However, Mabel didn’t leave.

“Why were you yelling just now bro-bro?” She asked. Dipper cringed. He was hoping she hadn’t heard that.

On one hand, despite his mistrust for his sister, he could tell her what he had been dreaming about the last few nights – Mabel knew of Bill too, so she would understand and help him.

Dipper bit his lip, not moving when Mabel moved closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He missed moments like these, where it was just them. Not a care in the world.

“I think…Bill’s inside my head again.” Dipper muttered, sighing. Mabel was silent for a few seconds, hand moving off his shoulder and to her side.

“Bill? The triangle guy?” She asked. Dipper nodded.

“The one that possessed me.” He confirmed.

“But we defeated him with the fireworks.” It wasn’t the response that Dipper was hoping to hear, and he turned to look at her.

Disbelief was written all over her face. It stuck a chord in Dipper, sadness and pain consuming him to the point where he couldn’t hear the rest of Mabel’s response over the ringing in his ears.

She didn’t believe him.

_She didn’t believe him._

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Dipper whispered. Mabel made a noise, fiddling with the hem of her sweater.

“It’s not that I don’t…it’s just…we defeated him…”

“We blew up a fucking sock, Mabel!” Dipper countered, anger rising. “Did that look like a demon to you?!”

“I’m just saying that you might be paranoid, that’s all!” Mabel raises her voice, stepping back.

“Paranoid?! Are you serious right now Mabel?!” Dipper snarled.

“You just haven’t been acting like the fun Dipper I know! You’ve been all moody and grouchy –“

“That’s because I have more things to worry about than sparkles and rainbows! Open your eyes Mabel!”

“Me open my eyes?!” Mabel shouted, tears in her eyes. “You should open yours Dipper! Stop worrying about silly things like triangles –“

“Silly?” Dipper hissed, eyes darkening. The look he sent his sister made her take a few steps back. “You think that I would joke around like something like this?”

“Dipper –“

“Get out.” Dipper spat. He could feel his heart tearing painfully. He had burnt out, left to deal with the wreckage that Mabel has left behind.

“Dipper wait –“

“I said get out!” Dipper tried to keep the tears out of his voice, but it cracked slightly at the end. Mabel hesitated first a few seconds, and he thought she was going to comfort him. But the moment was over and his sister shut the door behind her.

Dipper fell to the ground, arms wrapped around himself in a poor attempt at a hug.

Any faith that he had for Mabel was dying painfully, a tear rolling down his cheeks. He thought she’d understand, but it was clear he was wrong.

He felt a ghost of a hand rest on his shoulder comfortingly. He swung around, hoping to see Mabel but only finding nothing there. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a flash of a triangular shadow.

“Why can’t I just be normal?” He whispered.

Dipper wanted to stay on the ground forever, but eventually stood up and headed to the bathroom. Shutting the door tightly after him, he stared in the mirror.

Dull brown eyes. Pale skin. Messy hair. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week, which was probably true knowing the increasing visits from Bill.

A single tear track still glistened on his cheek, and he moved his hand to wipe it. The bandaged palm came into full view of the mirror and he paused. The words itched under it as a blunt reminder.

“Shit.” Dipper whispered. He stared at his reflection again, watching as his features morphed into frustration and anger. “Fuck!”

His fist collided with the mirror violently as he screamed, his reflection fracturing before his eyes. Mirror shards burst from their frame, crumbling into the sink below.

Only one piece remained: his eye, staring back at him.

Dipper gripped the sink rim until his knuckles turned white, watching as another cut bled into the white basin. The mirror shards stared back at him, showing disorientated features of his face.

Dipper pushed himself away from the sight, flinging open the door and running down the stairs.

He had almost made it to the front door – away from it all – but slammed into a chest. He stumbled back and found himself staring at Grunkle Stan.

“Where are you going kid?” His grunkle’s face was stoic, but Dipper saw anger flash behind his eyes.

“Out.” Dipper replied shortly.

“No you’re not.” Stan grabbed his arm before Dipper could make a dash for the door. “Not until you tell me what’s going on with you, and why you keep fighting with Mabel.”

“Just let me go.” Dipper replied. Grunkle Stan stared at him, his expression unreadable.

“You upset Mabel.” Grunkle Stan eventually said.

_She upset me! Doesn’t anyone care?_

“So?” Dipper was now aware he had an audience: Grunkle Ford was in the doorway, watching the exchange silently. His dark eyed were focused on Dipper.

“So? She’s your twin sister!” Stan continued. The old man sighed, running a hand down his face. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but it needs to stop before you hurt more people. Got it?”

“Yes Grunkle Stan.” Dipper muttered. Stan held his arm for a few more seconds but then let go. Dipper immediately ran out of the door, dashing into the forest.

What had Bill said? Distract himself? Dipper slowed to a walk. He didn’t have the journal with him, but the forest was a good enough distraction.

Besides, he knew the journal inside out now; also, it didn’t feel the same knowing who the author was, and what a disappoint he was compared to his fantasies.

Despite his growing anger and sadness at his family, he found himself looking over his shoulder, just in case anyone had come running after him. It was only when he repeated this action the twelfth time that he stopped. No one had thought to check on him.

“Whoa!” Dipper suddenly yelled as he felt his foot slip into cold water. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn’t realised he was walking straight into a stream.

Shaking his foot dry, Dipper sat down beside a pine tree, staring at the scenery around him. A few gnomes ran through the bushes, and he could see a troll in the distance, splashing in mud.

The teen felt himself relax for the first time in a while. A splash in the stream caught his attention, and he peered over to find an odd looking fish.

“I haven’t seen you before…” Dipper watched as the fish glowed gold, it’s extra fins and tail flapping wildly. “Not in any of the journals…”

He wished he could record it, but he hadn’t even brought a pen. Instead, Dipper dipped his hands in the water and stroked it scales. He laughed as he was suddenly filled with a feeling of euphoria.

“Joy Fish…you can be called that…” Dipper named it. He watched as the fish swam away, it’s purpose done.

Dipper leant back against the tree, shaking his head.

“As if Bill’s advice was actually good advice.” He muttered. His eyelids grew heavy, and once again he found himself slipping into blackness.

This was the second time he considered Bill’s offer.


	6. Ink

“Why am I spending my time _watching_ the kid?” Bill asked himself, staring down at the almost asleep Dipper. “Come on Cipher, we have bigger things to be doing!”

But he didn’t stop, hovering closer. The teen’s face was twisted in distress, and Bill didn’t like looking at it for long. Beneath his bangs, he could see a glimpse of the mark of his power etched on his forehead.

“No one in your family thought it was a little strange?” Bill asked skeptically. Humans were dumber than he thought.

Dipper, on the other hand, had shown insight and intelligence that humans didn’t usually posses, like Ford had – but unlike Ford there wasn’t the needy thirst of ambition and greed intertwined with it. This was half of the reason Bill was drawn to Dipper so much.

The other half he was still in denial about. He was a demon who should never ever feel a fondness for any human. But here he was, finding that he was looking forward to talking with the teen. Bill had seen his struggles, how poorly his family treated him. He saw everything.

Bill felt sorry for Dipper, if he was being truest to himself. The kid couldn’t catch a break. Every human took him for granted – couldn’t they see how special he was, how much potential his mind had?

“I’m getting distracted.” Bill pulled himself out of his tangent, straightening his bow tie. He wasn’t sure what to think of the small fondness erupting from him towards the teen.

“Maybe I don’t have to use him. I mean, killing him would be a waste, right?”

Right. There was no other reason why he no longer wanted to kill him.

Right.

Bill pulled out his cane, watching as Dipper’s eyes finally slipped shut for good. He hovered closer, reaching out a hand and pressing it against the teen’s forehead. With a blinding flash, Bill cackled as he entered his mindscape.

~

Dipper was expecting to find himself in his mindscape, and (despite it being the day rather than the night) this time wasn’t any different.

His mind was a state, to say in the least; though the world was supposed to be monochrome, most of the colours were deep greys and blacks. The sky was still a twisting void, white lightning striking from the clouds.

Dipper sighed, sitting down on the grass. He waited for Bill, testing his head on his hand.

“Hey Pine Tree!” Bill’s voice echoed around him. The triangle was contrasting with the rest of his world, his yellow body glowing brightly.

Dipper didn’t greet Bill, his mind racing. He didn’t complain when Bill hovered next to him.

“How’s it going?” Bill’s voice was quieter again. Dipper shrugged in response.

The brunette watched the stream’s waters, seeing his botched reflection in the depths. He sighed, shoulders slumping.

“Bad day?” Bill asked. Dipper nodded.

“It’s pretty average now.” He replied. He looked down at his hands.

In the mindscape, the blazing words “Trust No One” were easy to see, a tattoo in his skin. Dipper stared at them, his thoughts churning.

He was, despite his earlier denial, more at ease in the mindscape with Bill than he was at the Mystery Shack. The role reversal was strange in the least, but the truth was that he didn’t have to deal with the constant hurt and betrayal that would be carried on his shoulders whenever he was around his family.

At the back of his mind, he knew that Bill could still be tricking him. But if the demon was going to, wouldn’t he have done it already? Wouldn’t he be pressuring him into a deal?

But it seemed like the promise of magic wasn’t the first thing on the triangle’s mind anymore. The demon was giving him looks more close to human emotion than anything he’d seen from him before.

Dipper didn’t know what to think anymore. His mind was trying to reassure him that his family did care about him, but even then it wasn’t very convincing. If they did care, they had a strange way of showing it.

This was the third time he considered Bill’s offer.

And he didn’t look back.

“I want to learn magic. With you.” The words sounded natural as they rolled off Dipper’s tongue, as if they were waiting to be said.

The teen stared down at the stream again, and saw his reflection staring back at him, clearer and more refined.

Bill floated higher, his eye shining with excitement.

“You do? Pretty sudden kid, but I like it!” The demon cackled, flipping in the air.

“I’ve been thinking on it for a while. I think I’ve always wanted to…but I was worried about…”

“What those meatsacks might think?” Bill finished. He laughed again, and his triangle lit up with images of them all. “Right now they’re not even thinking about where you are, happy by themselves.”

Dipper watched the images, face falling as he saw each of his family members passing time as if nothing was wrong. He held his chest, nails digging into his skin.

“It wouldn’t hurt to learn greater things than they could ever imagine! The secrets of the universe!” Bill, at those words, grew larger, the triangle flickering to images of endless stars and galaxies.

“You should let yourself live for a change, Pine Tree! Forget about them in the moment!” Bill shrunk back down, his body glowing yellow once more.

Dipper looked into Bill’s eye, and slowly held out his hand.

“I want to learn magic.” He repeated. His voice was steady, colder. Bill glowed brighter, holding out his had ready to negotiate his conditions of the bargain.

Just as their fingers were about to touch, he retracted it back, the flames dying instantly. Dipper tilted his head in confusion.

“You know what?” Bill turned away from Dipper, arms behind his back. “This one…this one’s on me Pine Tree.”

“What?” Dipper asked, hand falling to his side.

“I’m giving you a freebie. No deals.” Bill turned around again, floating down to Dipper’s height.

“Why?” The teen questioned in disbelief. It was a generous side to Bill he had never seen before. He was trying to think of a loophole, but couldn’t find one.

“You deserve it, kid.” Bill answered. Dipper stared at him, shocked and strangely touched.

“Thanks…” he muttered. Bill huffed, suddenly spinning out of Dipper’s way and twisting his cane in his fingers.

“Welcome to the endless world of magic Pine Tree!” Bill shouted, cackling. The dream demon snapped his fingers, and the mindscape shifted and changed around him. Dipper yelled as he was lifted into the air as the ground changed into a mossy cobblestone. More trees spouted around them, trapping them in a ring, and a blackboard appeared out of thin air, landing behind Bill.

Dipper fell back to the ground, staring around him. He was now in a clearing which had been decorated with stone flooring and a desk in the centre. He was standing in an outdoor classroom.

“Welcome to your new classroom Pine Tree! Do you like it?” Bill span around, proudly showing the area. “It’s perfect!”

Bill’s eye suddenly narrowed, focusing on something behind Dipper. The teen cried out in surprise as the demon threw a ball of fire at a rock, reducing it to dust.

“Now it’s perfect!” He announced. He looked at Dipper, gesturing to the desk. “Sit down! I didn’t make that seat for nothing!”

Dipper hesitantly slipped into the seat, staring up at Bill. The dream demon was pointing his cane to the blackboard, which now had a few diagrams scrawled on it.

“Now, we aren’t having our first lesson until tonight, but I thought I’d get the boring rules out of the way first.” He said. He jabbed his cane at the picture of the human mind.

Dipper found himself on the edge of his seat, enjoying himself for the first time in ages.

“We are in the mindscape. Demons are weaker here, so we’ll be covering theory and movement while you sleep.” Bill explained. He pointed his cane at the picture of the globe. “During the day, you will apply the skills I taught you in the mindscape in the real world. Fun, right?!” Bill laughed. “Got me so far?”

“Yes.” Dipper nodded. Bill straightened his bow tie, and the chalkboard disappeared. The demon snapped his fingers, and in a burst of flames a book appeared in front of Dipper.

Dipper’s eyes widened in awe as he stared at the book, tracing his fingers along the spine. It was blue, with a silver pine tree symbol in the centre and patches of silver at the corners.

“This is your own journal.” Bill said, more quietly. Dipper picked up the book gently in his hands.

“As a project, I want you to rewrite those stupid journals Sixter wrote. It’s painfully human, and I know you can do better.” Bill explained. “Got it?”

“Yeah…” Dipper found himself smiling, mouth stretching to a grin. “This book is amazing…thanks…”

Bill didn’t say anything, but his body grew brighter.

The mindscape started to fade around Dipper suddenly and the teen grabbed the book tightly in his hands.

“First lesson tonight! Don’t be late!” Bill shouted, cackling.

The world blurred around Dipper, and he woke up with a start, staring around him.

He was in the same place he had been when he was asleep, the sun just beginning to sink over the hill. He figured, despite it feeling much longer in the mindscape, he hadn’t been asleep for more than an hour.

The teen shifted, and with the movement felt something topple out of his lap. It was the journal Bill gave him, a pen slotted at the top.

Dipper smiled, grabbing the pen and opening the cover. Without hesitation, he began to write in large letters:

_“Property of Dipper Pines.”_


	7. Mistrust

_The Joyfish seems like the only one of its kind, explaining why it’s existence is mostly unknown. I found it by accident._

Dipper paused, letting out a small hum. His pen rested on the paper, leaving a small spot of ink.

_As far as I know, it lives in this one stream deep in the forest, beside the great oak trees._

_It is spotted by its golden scales, but otherwise it is near impossible to find due to its fantastic speed in water._

Dipper let himself smile, slowly drawing the Joyfish in the centre of the page. He lightly shaded some of the areas and gave it a few labels.

 _When touched, it will give you a sense of calm and euphoria, hence its name._ He wrote at the bottom. Dipper looked at the page proudly, smiling.

This was what it was like to be happy, to be at peace for him. He hadn’t felt as relaxed since he came to Gravity Falls, whether it was fighting for his Grunkle’s affection or trying to prove that he wasn’t crazy.

Here, surrounded by woodland, he was invisible to the judging stares and raised eyebrows – he could just be himself for a few short moments.

 _I predict it to have a long lifespan as it is the only one of its species I’ve seen. It is completely harmless._ He added with a flourish. He stared back down at the stream, seeing a flash of gold. With a small smile, he added scales to his drawing, making each one shine.

The activity helped take his mind off what had just happened, even though this was an assignment by the dream demon himself. He wasn’t sure he made the right choice to learn from Bill – after all, this was the guy who tricks everyone.

“But he never made a deal. He didn’t want to.” Dipper muttered, voicing his thoughts. He sighed, running a hand down his face. “Is it possible that he just wants to help me?”

Bill had surprisingly been there for him at his lowest – not only that, but given him good advice. And now he was getting magic learnt for free, which Dipper was grateful for.

“Is it bad that I’m looking forward to this?” He asked himself, shutting the book. “Probably.”

But he couldn’t help the excitement buzzing through his bones, the curiosity burning in his heart. The silver pine tree was reflecting his face like a mirror, showing his small smile.

The smile quickly fell as he looked at the sky, noticing it darken. It was time to leave, but he wanted to stay for a while longer.

Dipper breathed in the forest air, closing his eyes and leaning back against the tree trunk. The water rushing past was like white noise, shutting him out.

After a while, Dipper admitted defeat and stood up, stretching. He safely tucked the book in his vest and pulled on his hat. From there he slowly made the walk back to the Mystery Shack.

Dipper briefly hesitated before opening the door with a squeak, stepping inside silently. The door swung shut behind him and be crept upstairs, pressing the book against his chest. He needed to hide the book before anyone asked questions, especially Ford.

“Where have you been, Dipper?”

Dipper froze, groaning internally at the sound of Ford himself talking. He turned his head, seeing the author at the bottom of the stairs. His eyes were staring suspiciously at him, eyebrows furrowed.

“Out.” Dipper replied shortly. His voice didn’t shake with nervousness this time at the lie.

“Out where?” Ford pressed, beginning to climb the stairs. Dipper took another step up.

“In the woods.” Dipper stood on the top stair, staring down at Ford. “I was looking for some of the creatures in your journal.”

Ford didn’t answer for a moment, trying to see any loopholes in his story. It hurt and amazed Dipper how much the man he used to idolise didn’t trust him.

“I will need that journal back by the way. Tonight.” Ford ordered. Dipper turned away to hide the hurt and disgust he knew was marked on his face. For a moment, he thought the man was going to greet him in some way. No one else had.

“You can have it.” Dipper spat and, leaving Ford on the stairs, turned to his shared room.

To his surprise, Mabel was already inside and talking on the phone. A small bowl of leftovers from her meal was on his bed.

“I know Candy! He’s so cute! He will have to fall for one of us!” His sister squealed. Dipper rolled his eyes, pushing his food away. He wasn’t hungry despite not eating all day.

“What? Oh yeah…maybe I could get Dipper to do a double shift for me?” Mabel pulled her head away from the phone, turning to Dipper. He hadn’t realised she knew he was in the room up until this point.

“Could you do gift shop duty for me tomorrow? Please?” She begged him. She didn’t even wait for a reply before she was back on the phone.

Dipper sank into his bed, the excitement he had felt earlier fading with his deteriorating mood.

“Sorry about that…just boy stuff…” Mabel finally got off the phone, speaking to Dipper. “Thanks for filling in for me tomorrow bro bro.”

“I never said I was.” Dipper replied tonelessly. He sat up, silhouetting against the triangle window behind him.

“What?” Mabel asked.

“I’m busy tomorrow.” Dipper said, staring at his sister.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise!” Mabel begged. “Besides, you’re never busy, just being a nerd in the forest.” She giggled. Dipper frowned.

“Yeah? Well I am. Find someone else to fill in for you.” He said coldly.

Mabel stared at him, her eyes spotting the silver corner of the book. She jumped on his bed before he could act, snatching it out of his jacket.

“What is this?” Mabel asked. Dipper pulled it out of her grasp, knocking her to the floor.

“It’s nothing.” He answered, tucking it back in his vest. Mabel looked at him from the floor. Though her hair covered most of her face, Dipper could still see the one thing he never thought he would see in his twin’s eyes.

Mistrust.

Mabel said no words but studied him closely. Once upon a time Dipper would crumble under her gaze but now he knew he could hide his entire world from her own. They were no longer together, but separate.

Mabel. And Dipper.

The silence stretched across them until Mabel sat up, rubbing her arm.

In one movement, she grabbed her blankets and phone in her arms and walked to the door.

“What happened to you? Now you’re all boring and mean.” Mabel turned to Dipper, tossing her hair behind her. “Talk to me when you can be a better brother.”

The door slammed shut. Dipper stared at the wood and slumped his shoulders with a sigh.

The journal glimmered in the light of the window and Dipper picked it up. He opened the smooth cover, glancing at his first entry before turning the page. Picking up his pen, he began to write after a moment’s hesitation.

_Am I a bad brother?_

Dipper sighed.

_I guess I have been, but my feelings won’t leave. I can’t…I just can’t. Not yet._

_On the other hand, my first lesson is tonight. Is it bad that I’m excited? Probably._

_But the possibility of magic is amazing, and the only times I’ve been close to happy is with Bill. There was no deal, but I’m keeping my guard up just in case._

_Who knows, I might just enjoy myself._

Dipper quickly crossed out the last sentence and slid the book under his mattress. It wasn’t the best hiding place, but until morning it would have to do. Besides, he was in the bed so he would know if it was being taken.

Lying down in the covers, he let his eyes close.

Before he could even open them, a voice rang close to his ear.

“Well well well well well! You’re early!”


	8. Writings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is mainly speech :(

Bill was floating in front of him and poked his cane into his cheek.

“Yeah, I didn’t have anything else to do.” Dipper slipped into the chair, staring at the world around him. There were a few more changes that had been made, such as a path leading up to the blackboard and Dipper’s desk was now grey instead of a light brown.

“I thought you said it was perfect?” Dipper asked with a raised eyebrow. The triangle huffed, rolling his eye.

“Yeah well I changed my mind.” Bill span around Dipper. “This is my classroom I’ll do what I want!”

Dipper watched as Bill floated back to the blackboard. With a snap of his fingers, the board was filled with symbols and writings that he couldn’t read.

“Bill I can’t read this.” Dipper pointed out. Bill didn’t answer, drawing the last symbol by hand.

“Welcome to your first lesson!” Bill span around, jabbing his cane at the board. “Language!”

“What?” Dipper asked. The writing looked far too complicated for him to learn in one night.

“Time moves differently here Pine Tree!” Bill answered his unasked question. “I can make it so you have plenty! But this is the backbone of magic, got that?”

“Yeah.” Dipper opened his new journal (it had already been sitting on the desk somehow) and wrote a large title.

“I want you to copy all of these down.” Bill ordered. A chair materialised under him, and he sat down in it. “And then write only in them for the rest of this lesson.”

“What? How can I?” Dipper asked as he scribbled down the translations.

“It’s the only way you’ll learn it properly Pine Tree.” Bill explained with a chuckle. “If I see any human writing when you’re in my lessons I’ll roast you alive.”

“Nice.” Dipper muttered.

Bill hummed as Dipper wrote, smile growing more as he learnt more. A quick thing he noticed was that the symbols didn’t represent letters – they were sounds. Some of them were sounds Dipper couldn’t place.

“What are –“ Dipper asked but was interrupted by a sharp cry from Bill.

“Hands up!” The dream demon demanded, floating out of his chair.

“Seriously?” Dipper sighed, raising his hand into the air. Bill acted as if he had only just seen it.

“What is it Pine Tree?” He asked. Dipper rolled his eyes.

“What are these symbols?” Dipper pointed to the four at the end which had no translation beside them. Bill’s body glowed and he moved back towards the board.

“Those are the sounds of the Earth.” Bill pointed you each symbol as he explained. “The whispers of the wind. The vibrations of the soil. The trickle of water. The crackle of fire.”

“I didn’t know magic so linked with nature.” Dipper looked over at Bill. “No offence, but you give it a chaotic evil vibe.”

“That’s because I’ve mastered it! I can do anything I want with it!” Bill cried out joyfully. He quietened again. “But all of it comes down to nature, yes. Too bad meat sacks are too dumb to realise this!” Bill laughed again.

Dipper wrote the symbols carefully, placing them in their own section. Bill peaked over his shoulder.

“They’re used for the most advanced magic. Like I said, everything leads back to nature.” Bill finished his notes for him. Dipper jumped at his sudden appearance, not used to the triangle being so close.

Dipper knew he must’ve been in the mindscape for the equivalent of days when he was getting a better grasp on the symbols. After the first few sentences, it came to him naturally, a small tingle of warmth in his fingers.

“Now you’re getting it!” Bill laughed. Dipper finished his sentence, nodding slightly.

“What about the summoning circles and stuff? How am I going to remember them? Dipper asked.

“Millions of years.” Bill answered in a heartbeat.

“What?!”

“There are infinite ruins Pine Tree! I just use the ones I need. Like summoning circles!” The demon, with a snap of his fingers, erased the board.

“You see, the reason there are infinite is because each one is different to the eye of the beholder.” Bill tried to explain. “It’s what feels right to you, and what images correlate to that said request.”

“Right…” Dipper was wrapping his head around it slowly.

“And this is where our language comes in!” Bill cried out dramatically. “Just say what you want to do in that!”

“Oh. Right…” It was beginning to make more sense now. “As long as the instructions are right, you can do draw what you want, as long as it’s relevant?”

“For minor things, yes.” Bill explained. “Bigger things like summoning circles, banishing circles, prophecies – that’s set in stone. Understand?”

“Yeah. I think so.” Dipper wrote a few more notes in his book. Bill was oddly silent above him.

“What do you want?” Dipper asked eventually after a few minutes of the silence. He was surprised to see Bill somewhat nervous. Whatever he was going to say to Dipper was important to him.

“Speaking of symbols, I need you to do something for me.” He asked. Dipper shook his head.

“I’m only here to learn magic Bill. That’s it.” Dipper replied instantly.

“You can’t learn properly without doing this!” Bill floated closer to Dipper. He turned the page of the book, grabbing the pen.

“I can’t go to the real world. Not yet.” Bill explained. Dipper opened his mouth to retort but Bill stopped him. “Hear me out! Hear me out!”

Bill drew an outline of an eye, with a triangle underneath.

“And I know you don’t like me being in the real world – I mean, why wouldn’t you but hey – so I suggest this.”

Beneath the symbols, Bill wrote the lines:

_Seen to the owner of this blood_

“Blood?” Dipper muttered.

“This makes me visible only to you - I’ll still be in the dream world.” Bill avoided the question, jabbing the pen into the triangle drawing. “Seeing as this will be your first time doing one of these, I’ve given you the images that correspond with me and the mindscape!”

“So this just makes me see you. You can’t do anything?” Dipper asked suspiciously.

“Correct Pine Tree! I’ll just be in your head!” Bill cackled again.

Dipper found himself smiling in excitement. He hadn’t realised he would be putting magic into use to early.

“You just have to reach through and find that magic in you Pine Tree!” Bill said. “And follow what the words say!”

Dipper opened his mouth to answer but the world around them shook violently.

“Someone’s waking you up.” Bill looked up at the sky, narrowing his eye. “Probably shooting star. What an inconvenience!”

“What do you mean, “find that magic?”!” Dipper asked in alarm. The world continued to crumble around them.

“I can’t explain it better than that! Sorry kid!” Bill yelled as the mindscape flickered.

“Bill! That doesn’t help!” Dipper shouted back at the demon. He heard t triangle cackle, but the world finally crumbled away.

Dipper opened his eyes, finding Mabel leaning over him. He swatted her hands away, sitting up.

“You were talking in your sleep.” Mabel told him. Dipper glared at her.

“So? Leave me alone.” He felt something poke into his side as he shifted, recognising it as the hard corner of his journal.

“Fine.” Mabel whispered, moving away from him. Dipper watched her leave, waiting until the door was closed before pulling the book out from under the sheets.

He had left it under his mattress, but he supposed that it had to be closer to him for it to be taken to the mindscape.

Sure enough, when he opened the pages all his notes were there, written in the new language he had learnt.

He turned the page, tracing his fingers across the images Bill had left behind. He read the words again.

“Seen to the owner of this blood…” he muttered. He guessed that it had to be his blood, but how? He couldn’t draw that in his own blood on the ground, unless…

Dipper pulled on his clothes, not even bothering to get a shower. He grabbed his bag from its peg, filling it with his book and a pen. He slung it over his shoulder as he exited the room. It drummer against his side as he went down the stairs.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Stan asked as he brushed past him.

“Out.” Dipper answered bluntly. The teen entered the kitchen, searching for the cutlery drawer.

“Out where?” Stan called from the table. Ford was nowhere to be seen.

“The forest.” Dipper opened the draw, snatching a small knife from the back and putting it in his bag.

The teen shut the bag with a zip, pushing the door open with his hip. He didn’t even bother calling out a goodbye, nor did he notice Ford watching him from the side.


	9. Carvings

The rain came fast and sudden, plastering against the ground and drumming against the leaves. Dipper cursed, holding his bag above his head to try and keep himself dryer.

“Why now?” The teen muttered. He picked up his pace, bag rattling as he broke into a run. He slid down a slope and mud seeped into his battered trainers.

He was soaking, shivering and stumbling, but the excitement couldn’t be distinguished inside of him. It was like a heater, warming him up from the inside. He could feel a buzzing in his fingers, whether it was from magic or the cold he didn’t know.

Finally he could see the clearing up ahead, and with the sight he saw the tree he was looking for. It’s long leaves would provide a perfect shelter from the rain so his journal wouldn’t get ruined within a second.

Dipper ran to it, throwing his bag forward first before diving under himself. He drew in his knees, pulling out his journal. As soon as the cover flashed in his arms, he heard a twig snap in the trees opposite him.

He could’ve sworn that he saw something in the shadows. It wasn’t a monster, or he would be dead by now. It had to be another human, but why weren’t they coming over to him? The only conclusion he came to was that he was being watched, but by who he didn’t know.

Dipper narrowed his eyes, but couldn’t see anything but the trees. Whoever it was, they clearly didn’t want to be seen.

Had they seen his journal? They must have. Only the cover, but still – everyone in Gravity Falls knew he didn’t have a book like this. It would create unwanted questions.

The teen shoved the book back in his bag and stood up slowly. He counted under his breath, tensing his muscles.

Then, he ran.

He ran through the trees, weaving through their trunks. His eyes widened when he heard the heavy footsteps of someone running after him.

Cursing, he turned suddenly, hoping to lead them off the trail. He was gaining ground on them, getting lost in the trees.

“Dipper!” A voice called from behind him. The voice was familiar, but he couldn’t hear it properly over the hammering of rain and the sound of his own heavy breathing. So this person clearly knew who he was.

Dipper ran faster, jumping over tree roots and stones. Lightning flashed in the sky, lighting up a cave that had escaped his view. Without a second thought, he ran into it and tucked himself in the corner.

Footsteps grew closer. Dipper held his breath as they stopped just at the cave opening.

Dipper knew those boots. His eyes widened as the man slowly walked away from the cave, giving a clear view of his identity.

Ford.

His grunkle was soaking like Dipper was, his face twisted into an angry frustration. Dipper stayed still, not daring to move, as Ford slowly walked away.

“Out of everyone it had to be Ford…” Dipper muttered, raking his hand through his fringe. “He knows the most about the supernatural!”

If Ford managed to piece together what had been happening, what Dipper was trying to do on this rainy day – he didn’t want to think about it. He held some fear for his once-idol. The man was unpredictable.

Dipper didn’t know what to do. He wondered whether he should try and get back in the shack before Ford could, but then realised that it was almost impossible to do.

Amongst all the uncertainly, Dipper found himself longing for Bill, wanting his advice. It was strange to come to terms with _wanting_ Bill with him, but he quickly got used to it. He was his teacher now after all.

Dipper moved quickly after that. He pulled out the knife and the journal from his bag and sat crossed-legged in the centre of the cave.

He flicked to the right page and traced the symbols Bill had drew.

“ _Seen to the owner of this blood.”_ Dipper read. He held out his right wrist, grabbing the knife with his left. He pressed the point of the blade against his pale skin, watching as a small bubble of blood appeared underneath.

He closed his eyes, calming himself before making the first carving.

The knife glided across his skin, creating a perfect arch. The pain didn’t stop Dipper – it was strange, but the process felt right, and he swore he could feel something moving through his bloodstream.

Was this what Bill meant by “reaching?” He was drawing the symbols with his eyes closed, and yet somehow getting them perfect. He let his hand do the work, and only stopped when instinct told him to.

He opened his eyes, looking at the symbol he had drew. He had placed the triangle inside of the eye, and had carved a perfect circle around it.

Dipper looked down at the words Bill had wrote. Holding the knife tighter, he began to etch them into his skin.

He began to chant the same words under his breath in the language Bill had taught him, three times in a row.

Something suddenly changed in the air. The knife felt to the ground with a clank as Dipper looked down at the puddle of blood beneath him.

He watched as it began to shift, twisting into a triangle.

_Have I done it?_

Dipper slowly pressed his hand onto the liquid, feeling it churn under his palm. At the contact, the blood suddenly lifted itself into the air, twisting and changing until Bill Cipher was hovering in front of him.

The dream demon had lost his colour, being grey instead of yellow. The triangle span around, inspecting his arms.

“Not bad Pine Tree! Not bad at all!” Bill cackled, floating closer to the teen. Dipper found himself smiling at the praise.

“I thought it wasn’t going to work for a second.” He said with a small smile. He looked down at his wrist, tilting his head in curiosity.

Instead of cuts littering his skin now, they were black lines, almost like a tattoo.

“How did it feel doing your first spell?!” Bill asked happily. Dipper hummed in thought.

“It felt…natural. I don’t know how to explain it.” Dipper answered truthfully.

“That’s because you were born for this Pine Tree!” The demon answered, pulling out his cane. He paused, looking out of the cave. “Now…what are we going to do about old Sixer? Hmm…”

“You know about that?” Dipper asked. Bill looked at him from the corner of his eye.

“Of course I do. I’m an all-seeing dream demon. Plus I was following you at the time anyway.” He answered.

“Okay, that was a stupid question.”

“It was.”

Bill thought some more, humming to himself.

“Well, I was going to suggest to kill him, but it’s too early for that so here’s what I’ve got.” Bill said. “Act stupid.”

“It took you that long to think of that?” Dipper asked skeptically. Bill huffed.

“Hey, I usually solve things with murder, okay? It was hard.” The dream demon straightened his bow tie. “And this way, it will be much more satisfying. Ford thinks you’re stupid, so act like you are.”

“Stay ignorant?” Dipper summed up. Bill snapped his fingers.

“Exactly!” The triangle floated to Dipper’s height, folding his arms. “And remember, you can’t talk to me in public or people will think you’re crazy.”

“Like they don’t think that already.” Dipper replied.

The rain had morphed into a light drizzle, which Dipper was glad to see. He packed the journal back in his bag, and rinsed the knife out in the rain.

“Why don’t you just lick it clean? It’s faster!” Bill asked. Dipper pulled a face.

“I’m not going to lick my blood thanks.” He answered. Bill shrugged.

“Suit yourself.” He muttered. Dipper sighed, staring out at the forest in front of him. His saddened mood was back, consuming almost all of his body. The only part that was keeping him stable was the happiness that had appeared at the thought of doing his first spell.

“You really don’t like that shack do you?” Bill asked. Dipper stepped out into the rain.

“I used to.” He thought back to when times were simpler. “I used to love it.”

Dipper turned his face towards the rain, spreading out his arms. He could feel the symbol under his sleeve, and couldn’t help but smile.

Maybe he could let himself enjoy this a bit more. 


	10. Suspicions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is late :/

“So tell me, how much of a fire hazard is this place?”

“When does this shack date back to? One thousand years ago?”

“I’ve seen dead trees look better than this!”

Dipper had only just entered the Mystery Shack when Bill piped up, bombarding him with questions like an annoying child. The demon had been as silent as himself during the long walk back, deep in thought. Dipper had wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but decided not to. He would rather stay oblivious to Bill’s mind.

“I think there’s more mould than wood here!” Bill pointed to the ceiling, where mould was clinging onto the planks.

“You’re being very distracting.” Dipper hissed out of the corner of his mouth. “Could you stay quiet for a few minutes?”

“Don’t talk that way with your teacher! Detention!” Bill exclaimed dramatically. Dipper rolled his eyes and dropped his bag to the ground.

He peeled off his jacket, hanging it on a peg to dry. The symbol etched into his skin stuck out against his pale completion, and he frowned.

“Better cover that up properly.” Bill warned more seriously. Dipper nodded. With a sigh, he shuffled into the main room, rubbing his eyes.

The television was blaring, its light reflecting onto Mabel’s face, which was glued to the screen. When she saw Dipper she pouted, turning her head away from him.

“All this because you wouldn’t cover for her? Wow.” Bill said unhelpfully.

“It happens a lot.” Dipper muttered. He thought his voice was hidden against the shouts of the tv, but Mabel turned to him in confusion, her mood forgotten.

“What happens all the time?” She asked, but Dipper was already out of the room, leaving a trail of soggy footprints behind him.

“Dipper wait!”

But Dipper kept walking. After the day of magic, no matter how brief it was, he felt like the world had exploded into infinite possibilities. For once, he was happy with being _him_ , knowing that there was something he could finally get lost in without the judgement of others – because there was no one else, just him and Bill.

So when Mabel tried to stop him, tried to hold him back _again,_ he refused to let her. He walked steadily out of the room, not looking behind him.

“Great, you got dirt all over the floor.” Stan was cooking their dinner in the kitchen. Dipper ignored him too, simply taking off his shoes and holding them.

“Is this better?” He asked, not even looking at his Grunkle. He didn’t wait for the answer and tried to escape the room, only to be blocked by a large arm.

Ford.

“Remember what I said Pine Tree.” Bill reminded him close to his ear.

“Dipper may I have a word with you?” Ford was angry, he could see that, but was trying to act less so to try and lure him in. Dipper wasn’t buying it, seeing the mistrust behind his eyes.

“I’m right here. Why are you waiting?” Dipper replied cooly. He hid his marked wrist behind his back, fist clenched.

Stan was watching the exchange silently, eyes narrowed.

“You ran from me in the woods today.” Ford was watching Dipper carefully. The teen thought quickly.

“That was you?” He pretended you be a little surprised, but kept his eyes locked on Ford. “I thought that was a monster, I’m sorry.”

“I called your name. Numerous times.”

“It was raining. I didn’t hear anything.”

Bill cackled behind him, and Dipper could see why.

Ford’s face was a picture of frustration and anger, but his features tried to remain as calm as possible. It was obvious that Ford thought it was something more (which is was, but he wasn’t going to give that away) but still greatly underestimated Dipper’s intelligence.

“Where were you going today?” Ford asked persistently. Bill laughed louder.

“Looking for the creatures in your journal, that’s all.” Dipper replied. He felt Ford’s hard gaze on his face, but the author didn’t say anything else.

“Excuse me.” Dipper muttered, slipping under Ford’s arm.

“What was that about?” He heard Stan ask, but moved away from the conversation.

“He didn’t mention the journal.” Bill said, floating beside him.

“I know. Maybe he didn’t see it?” Dipper suggested hopefully.

“No, he saw it alright. Hide it well tonight.” The demon advised. The triangle suddenly flickered, and he straightened his bow tie. “See you tonight!” He cackled and disappeared in a flash of white light. Dipper shielded his eyes, then looked at the empty space where Bill had been.

“Where can I hide it though?!” He muttered. “Why do you keep disappearing when I need your help?!”

Dipper sighed, flinging open the bedroom door and shutting it behind him.

The room was fairly large, and he knew that there would be many hiding places, but the problem was Mabel. She was in this room almost as much as Dipper, and knew some of these hiding spots too.

Hiding the journal under the mattress seemed like a joke now, especially since Ford was looking for it.

Dipper pulled out the book, tracing its cover again with his fingers.

“I should document this.” Dipper, after a moment of hesitation, moved to the windowsill underneath the triangular window. The spot gave him comfort for reasons unknown to him. He turned a new page and began to draw the symbol on his wrist, copying it to the exact detail.

 _Demon Projection,_ he called it, writing a large title. He drew a small diagram of what it did.

_Carve the symbol into the skin with the demon’s respective symbol in the centre of the eye. This will make the demon able to walk our own dimension without creating any harm._

_The demon cannot interact with the world around them, as if they were a hologram. They are only viable to the owner of the symbol._

Dipper hummed, biting his pen.

_But as far as I know, this can only be done if the person has some kind of magical potential._

Dipper shut the book quietly, staring as his reflection in the pine tree. Behind his reflection, the rafters glinted, giving him an idea.

It was hard getting up there – he had to climb on the bookshelf and then haul himself up – but he knew that the place was a good spot as soon as he saw the dust coating the planks.

Dipper carefully balanced on the rafter, shoving the book in the corner. Nodding in satisfaction, he jumped off the wood and onto his bed in a mess of tangled limbs.

“That was a mistake…” the teen muttered, rubbing his back. It hadn’t cushioned his fall as well as he thought.

Dipper sat back at the windowsill, leaning his head against the glass. The sun was still sinking so he couldn’t get on with his next lesson anytime soon. He sighed, mind drifting back to Ford in his boredom.

“He’s going to follow me tomorrow too.” He said to himself. “And he’ll probably try and find my journal whenever I’m not around.”

It hurt to think that Ford immediately suspected him of foul play.

Distantly he heard Mabel call his name for dinner, but he ignored it. He’d rather stay in his own thoughts, and he wasn’t hungry anyway.

Dipper looked down at the symbol marking his wrist, noticing that it looked more faded now that Bill wasn’t using it.

For the rest of the evening he just stared at it in fascination.

~

“So Bill, I heard you got a new pawn!” Pyronica laughed through the gap.

Bill turned, looking at the glowing pink eyes of the demon. The rest of her, like the other demons, was shrouded in darkness. The split in the mindscape was small, but he could see her grinning smile.

And it annoyed him.

“When are you going to finish him?” The pink demon purred. Bill paused, swinging his cane.

“He’s not a pawn.” He answered shortly. The other demons laughed behind the portal, thinking it was a joke.

How unfortunate for them.

“If anyone says otherwise…” Bill grew the largest he could, letting out a roar as his body turned a blinding red. “I will tear you into tiny pieces!”

The demons shrieked, stumbling back from the portal. Bill, satisfied he got the message, shrunk back down and leant on his cane.

“Pine Tree stays. I like him, understand?” Bill didn’t realise how fond he had grown for the teen until now, but didn’t dismiss it. Unlike the other demons, he was intriguing and fun to be around. Usually Bill would squash feelings like these to a pulp but he didn’t want the kid to be torn up by his colleagues.

“Alright Bill, we get it…” Pyronica muttered sulkily.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Bill replied happily, straightening his bow tie once again.


	11. Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been long, but updates should be regular again now (at least until I go back to collage)

“You’re late!” Was what Dipper was greeted with once the world came into focus. Dipper blinked, spotting the triangle a few metres away from him with his arms crossed.

“I’m not.” Dipper replied with a pout. “It’s the same time as yesterday.”

“The clock says differently!” Bill pointed to the clock that had appeared in front of him. It had at least ten hands, and numbers and letters scattered on the edges. Dipper looked at in confusion before shrugging and moving to his seat.

“Whatever you say.” He muttered. Bill ignored him and floated back to the board.

“Don’t you want to know what you’re going to be learning today?” He asked loudly. He jabbed his cane at the writing. “Its pretty fun!”

Dipper nodded, opening his book eagerly.

“You humans call it flying! Isn’t that great!” Bill said excitedly. Dipper grinned, straightening up at the mention of physical magic.

“I’m going to learn how to fly?!” He asked happily. Bill rolled his eye with a sigh.

“Typical human. It’s not flying.” Bill moved closer to him. “Does it look like I’m flying to you?”

“Well…kinda…” Dipper could see what Bill meant – he wasn’t flying like a superhero, it was more like he was just walking in the air.

“All I’ve done is turned gravity off a bit!” Bill explained. “I haven’t used these legs properly in two thousand years!” He cackled and floated back to the board.

“So how do you do it?” Dipper asked eagerly.

“Like this!” Bill simply rotated on the spot. “Ta da!”

“You know what I meant.” Dipper said, folding his arms.

“Remember, just theory in this place Pine Tree.” Bill reminded before turning back to the board and writing a few more lines in the runes he had previously learnt. Dipper read them quickly, narrowing his eyes.

“What do you mean by “turn off gravity”?” He asked, copying the notes into his journal. Bill seemed like he was expecting the question, and straightened his bow tie before answering.

“Kid, gravity is just a force to beings like us.” He began to explain. “And we can turn it off around ourselves whenever we like. Just imagine that there is no restriction that’s keeping anything down.”

“Oh.” The idea was almost impossible, but he had learnt not to doubt Bill’s knowledge. The triangle seemed to know everything, and it would be foolish to try and disagree with him.

“The problem for beginners like you is that you get rid of gravity for yourself completely, and you end up sending whatever you wanted to move flying into space.”

“So how do I stop that?” Dipper asked, scrawling into his journal.

“Imagine your turning a knob.” Bill answered immediately. “Not full power, not off – somewhere in the middle.”

Dipper wrote a few more lines, drawing a brief diagram. He was grinning, his foot drumming against the floor.

“What?” Bill asked in confusion.

“Just excited.” Dipper answered shortly. Bill laughed.

“Kid, this is basic stuff! You’ve got much more to learn yet!” He began to count on his fingers. “Fire, teleportation, deals, telekinesis – I could go on forever! Some of these things you’ll just pick up on your own as your magic gets stronger.”

“Deals?” Dipper shook his head. “I don’t want to learn deals.”

“Why not?” Bill asked loudly. “Deals are fun!”

“You trick people! You always give them the worse end of the bargain!” The teen argued.

“Only because they’re stupid or selfless!” Bill cackled, flipping in the air. “Most meat sacks are way too dumb to see the loop holes.”

“You possessed me.” Dipper replied shortly.

“Yeah, but I knew you wouldn’t be thinking straight. Lack of sleep can do that to you.” Bill hovered down to Dipper’s height. “They’ll grow on you, I’m sure if it! No student of mine refuses deal making!”

Dipper sighed, adding a few last notes in his book. The world was beginning to tremble around him, but by now Dipper knew that someone was waking him up.

“Hey! My lesson’s being cut short!” Bill shouted. “Get that meat sack to stop waking you up!”

“I can’t unless I’m awake.” Dipper sighed. “It’s probably Grunkle Stan wanting new to do some stupid chore.”

Before Bill could answer, the world gave a huge shake and Dipper snapped awake.

As he suspected, Grunkle Stan was the one waking him up. His large hand was clasped on his shoulder, shaking it.

“You didn’t sweep the floors last night like I told you to.” He said gruffly. He was, Dipper noticed, dressed in his typical costume for the Mystery Shack. Blearily, Dipper looked at the clock.

“It’s seven thirty.” Dipper muttered. He and Mabel didn’t usually have to get up until nine seeing as they weren’t the ones running the mystery shack.

“So? You should’ve swept the floors.” His Grunkle replied, tossing off his blanket. Dipper yelled as the cold hit him. “And I want it done before tourists arrive.”

“But that was Mabel’s job!” Dipper protested, remembering Mabel ask him to take over last night. He hadn’t answered, falling asleep quickly to try and get to his lesson.

“She said you agreed to take over for her.” Grunkle Stan turned, walking out of the doorway. “Hurry up!”

“Fuck…” Dipper cursed angrily, wrapping the sheet back around himself. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

“So that’s who woke you up! I’ll burn him alive!” Bill’s mono form said from beside him. Dipper yawned, pulling on some clothes rather than going to shower first. Mabel was still sleeping peacefully when he caught a glimpse of her, and he gritted his teeth.

Sighing, he began to make his way to the kitchen but was stopped when Bill suddenly cried out a warning.

“Ford...” The triangle warned. Not wanting another interrogation session, Dipper quickly slipped into the bathroom, watching out of the crack of the door. Bill was hovering underneath him, watching with his eye.

Ford was slowly making his way down the hall, eyeing every crack and corner of the house. Dipper hadn’t seen him come out fully from the bunker since the portal incident. He narrowed his eyes, trying to guess what he was doing.

He watched as the author pulled out a notebook and started jotting down some notes.

“He’s looking for anything suspicious in the shack.” Bill told him.

“Like what?” Dipper asked quietly.

“Runes, symbols, unusual damages – anything that could lead to me. Luckily I’m very clean with my work.”

Ford strode forward and Dipper quickly his behind the door. He could hear the author’s footsteps walk past and let out a sigh of relief as they grew quieter.

Dipper waited a while longer before slipping through the door and going downstairs himself. Luckily, Ford had chosen to go back to the bunker, leaving him in peace.

“How did I even look up to that guy?” Dipper muttered, grabbing a slice of bread. He nibbled on it as he grabbed the broom and started to sweep.

“Never meet your heroes, kid.” Bill replied. Dipper gave a short nod, pausing as he heard his sister’s footsteps coming down the stairs. He hadn’t even been aware how much time had passed until that point.

“Morning Grunkle Stan!” She ran into the dining room, where Stan greeted her by hugging her happily.

“You’re full of beans this morning, aren’t ya?” He asked. Dipper watched their exchange, eventually dropping the broom and walking out of the house.

The forest greeted him, and Dipper closed his eyes for a few seconds as he felt the wind brush against his cheeks.

“I’d thought you’d never leave!” Bill said. Dipper followed him deeper into the forest, not looking back at the Mystery Shack.

“I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.” Dipper answered. He walked in silence for a while longer before Bill stopped in his tracks, looking around.

“This should be far enough. Lesson time!” Bill instructed. Dipper nodded, taking a deep breath to calm his jumping nerves.

“Let’s see what you can do.” The triangle hovered a few metres back. “Try and lift that rock.”

Dipper started at the rock, relaxing himself. What had Bill said? Imagine gravity not being there?

“Whoa!” Dipper cried out as the rock shot into the air, higher and higher until it was just a speck in the sky.

“Well at least it didn’t go to space…” Bill looked up at the rock, folding his arms. “That’s a start.”

 _More gravity. Not too much…lower, lower…_ Dipper thought. To his surprise, the rock began to lower itself until it was at Dipper’s waist.

“Nice going Pine Tree!” Bill moved closer to the rock, studying it from all angles. “A little shaky…that’s fixable…” he muttered to himself. Dipper pushed himself further, and he grinned when the rock began to circle slowly around him.

“Now you’re getting it!” Bill pointed his cane to a thick stick. “Now go bigger!”

Dipper did the same, watching happily as the stick slowly moved upwards, shaking slightly. The rock was also hovering next to him, and he made them loop around each other.

“How do I put them down again?” Dipper asked, watching them move.

“Cut the connection.” Bill simply said, poking the rock with his cane.

The stick and rock fell to the ground, and Dipper couldn’t help but grin.

“Now practice.” Bill instructed. Dipper nodded.

~

Dipper really began to understand the saying “practice makes perfect” as he worked far into the afternoon. He could also now understand what Bill meant by calling this easier magic, as it was now taking little thought for him to do what he wanted.

Once he began making plants pull out of the ground, Bill suggested to try it on himself.

“It’s not hard if you don’t panic.” Bill said as Dipper looked down at himself.

“What if I launch myself into space?” Dipper asked. Bill shrugged.

“I’ll have to find a new student.” He replied unhelpfully. Dipper rolled his eyes, focusing on himself.

A sudden feeling of weightless took over, and Dipper grinned as he looked below him. He was hovering a few metres off the ground in a sitting position.

“I did it!” Dipper laughed, straightening himself and spreading out his arms. “I did it!”

“Well, you don’t need my help anymore. I’m going back to the mindscape.” Bill told him. He looked around. “You’re world is really boring!”

Dipper watched Bill disappear, feeling confident enough not to panic at his absence. He flipped himself upside down, laughing louder as he made a few rocks float into the air.

He was quite happy to stay floating for a while longer, watching the sun fall behind the trees.


	12. Time

“Well, does he usually go out this much?”

“Yeah sometimes, but he’s been doing it a lot more lately.”

Dipper paused at the door, turning his head towards the voices.

“Do you have any idea why that could be?” The first one was definitely Ford. Dipper closed the door quietly and listened harder.

“No. He just stopped coming here anymore…I might have to call his parents soon.” That one was Grunkle Stan. Dipper narrowed his eyes at the words, and a few objects trembled around him as he fought to stay in control.

“His behaviour lately has been terrible – I remember when he barely reacted to anything! That was easier to deal with.” Grunkle Stan continued, unaware of Dipper’s presence.

“So this is unusual for you?” Ford pried. He didn’t see what happened next, but judging from the empty silence he guessed Stan nodded.

“Why are you asking all of this now anyway?” Grunkle Stan asked loudly. “You come crawling out of that bunker to ask about one moody teen?”

There was a pause before Ford began to answer.

“I’m not sure entirely what’s going on here, but Dipper –“

Dipper re-opened and closed the door as loud as he could, finished with the conversation. His grunkles immediately grew silent as Dipper walked into the room casually.

They speaking of him as if he wasn’t human, more of a second-hand item that needed returning. Dipper felt his fists clench at the thought, but they quickly relaxed as the numbness entered his mind again. It wasn’t really anything new to him, as his parents treated him the same way.

“Kid, can we talk?” Stan interrupted just thoughts and he paused mid-step.

“About what?” He asked. He didn’t miss the quick glance his Grunkle shot at Ford before continuing.

“Your behaviour. And where you’re going each day. It’s –“

“I go to the woods to look for monsters, as always. And I’m sorry about my behaviour, it won’t happen again.” Dipper said through gritted teeth. He felt his magic spike around him, and a few desktop items began to hover.

“That’s the worst apology I’ve ever heard. And I wasn’t asking for one.” Stan continued. Dipper fought to stay calm, but the objects rose higher as his emotions peaked.

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll make it stop.” Dipper replied with a small sigh.

The objects suddenly fell, clattering to the floor. Stan jumped, and Dipper took it as an opportunity to get away.

“What in the – Dipper!” Stan yelled, but Dipper was already up the stairs and slammed the door behind him.

“Dipper!” Stan banged his fist on the door and the teen flinched at the noise.

“Calm down Stanley, just leave him be for now.” He heard Ford say quietly from the other side of the door. “It’s not his fault.”

“What do you mean by that?” Stan asked. Dipper pressed his ear against the door, barely catching the next words.

“I mean that there is something in his head. Or rather, a someone.” There was a pause. “I’ll be able to fix it in time, but I need more evidence. It could just be a teen phase.” Ford said. He didn’t catch Stan’s reply and shuffled away from the door.

“We’re on borrowed time Pine Tree.” Bill said suddenly from beside him. Dipper nodded.

“Why do you even want me anyway? What are you planning?” He asked the demon quietly. Bill stared at him for a few seconds before replying.

“All in good time.” He replied. “All in good time.”

Dipper sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to get a better answer out of him.

“Can I have my next magic lesson now?” The teen asked suddenly. Bill hummed.

“Well, we are on borrowed time…how do you feel about fire?”

“Fire?!” Dipper looked around at his very flammable room.

“Don’t worry, it’s containable!” Bill laughed. “Mostly!”

Dipper nodded hesitantly, and Bill grew larger in excitement.

“Well well well well well!!! You’re playing with the big ones now, aren’t you?!” Bill cackled loudly as he rose into the air.

“You like fire a lot, don’t you?” Dipper asked, still trying to keep his voice down.

“Like it?” Bill suddenly grew giant, voice deep and demonic. “I love it!!!”

Dipper let himself drift into the air, floating beside Bill. With a flick of his hand, the bed was pushed against the door as a barricade. He couldn’t imagine what Ford would do if he walked to see him like this.

“Now Pine Tree, the key to casting fire is to be as emotional as possible!” Bill laughed loudly. “Anger! Sadness! Happiness! Fear! You name it!” 

“But when I’m too emotional my magic went out of control.” Dipper told the demon, who laughed again in response.

“Fire is _all about_ being out of control!” Bill answered happily. “Let those emotions build, snap your fingers and –“ Bill snapped his fingers, and a silver flame ignited at his hand. “Now, usually my flame is blue but in my current state everything is grey.”

Dipper watched the flame dance on the triangle’s palm and nodded his head firmly.

“I’ll try.” He muttered.

All the sadness that he had felt rained down upon him, building in his chest.

_“Dipper, I don’t have time right now!”_

_“He’s not right in the head, don’t mind him!”_

The pressure on his chest grew, making it almost hard to breathe –

_“Grunkle Stan…I trust you.”_

Dipper eyes flew open and he snapped his fingers.

Immediately, the bed underneath him was set alight, green flames twisting and coiling around the wooden frame. Dipper didn’t panic, but watched as the flames devoured it entirely, only leaving a pile of ash on the ground.

“Was that your bed?” Bill asked into the silence. Dipper shook his head slowly.

“It was Mabel’s.” He replied quietly. Bill hummed.

“Green flames, not bad. Just try and direct it to your hand next time.” The demon said. Dipper looked over at him curiously.

“Do the colour of the flames mean anything?” He asked.

“Kid, everything to do with magic has a meaning. Get used to it.” Bill replied. He ignited his hand again as a demonstration. “My blue flame is often associated with wisdom, and a few other things.”

“Wisdom?” Though it made sense (the demon literally always boasted about his infinite wisdom) he thought it would be different.

“There’s no colour for evil and insane, before you ask.” Bill answered his unasked question.

Dipper snapped his fingers again, and to his delight the flames stayed in the palm of his hand. He watched the green embers flicker curiously.

“What does green mean?” He asked.

“Ambition. Creativity. Potential.” Bill replied quietly. Dipper didn’t answer, but watched the flames dance on his fingertips.

“I can see why you like it so much.” The teen eventually said, watching the flame extinguish.

“Anything that kills things is good enough for me.” Bill laughed.

There was a sudden knock at the door, and Dipper cursed quietly as a voice spoke.

“Dipper open the door!” It was Mabel.

“Good luck!” Bill disappeared from his place beside Dipper.

“Great.” Though he didn’t want to open the door, he knew it would be too suspicious seeing as Stan and Ford were already keeping an eye on him. With a quick flick of his wrist, the bed moved back into its place and he dropped down to the ground. He kicked the pile of ash under the desk just as the door opened.

“What do you want? I thought you didn’t want to be in here anymore.” Dipper asked coldly as his twin walked through.

“I was just grabbing more of my stuff! Grunkle Ford said he would help me decorate!” Mabel replied with her arms folded. He watched as she looked at where her bed used to be with confused eyes.

“What happened to my bed? And the stuff on my bed?” She whined. Dipper walked away from her, sitting on his own.

“I got rid of it.” He said simply. He didn’t even bother looking at Mabel as she stomped out of the room. He made the door shut behind her.

Dipper, now finally alone, lit the tip of his finger and watched the green flame twist.

“Potential…” he whispered.


	13. Nowhere

Dipper quietly sat at his desk in the mindscape, waiting for Bill to arrive. He drummed his fingers against the wood with a small sigh. It was strange for the demon to be late – or maybe he was early. He did choose to go to bed at a ridiculous time, just so he could escape reality. Everyday it got worse and worse, and so he was getting to bed earlier and earlier. And now he was on “borrowed time”, as Bill said, until the world caught up with him.

“It’s just when.” Dipper thought out loud, replaying the night’s events in his head as he waited.

He was forced to eat dinner with the rest of his family that night, and it went as great as he expected it to be. No one talked to him, but rather communicated to each other in silent looks and nods. Of course, they thought Dipper was dumb enough to not notice. And Mabel, who knew of Dipper’s intelligence, didn’t stop it.

It was awkward, strained and tiring, and Dipper rather had not eaten again to avoid it. But Stan had pushed him downstairs, muttering something about “getting in trouble for letting him eat nothing.”

The meal hadn’t even been that great – soggy chips with glitter (thanks to Mabel) sprinkled over the top. He could still taste some in his mouth.

He had needed the meal, however, as he was beginning to black out after not wanting to eat for almost five days. He wanted to build back up his strength, but for what he didn’t know yet.

“Well, look who’s early! Never thought I’d see that!” Dipper turned at Bill’s loud greeting, finding him sitting next to him in another seat.

“I think you’re late.” Dipper answered, slouching back in his chair. Bill rolled his eye, springing out of his seat again. Dipper wondered why he even bothered sitting down in the first place.

“I’m never late! I can manipulate time!” Bill retorted childishly. “And it’s not going to be a long lesson tonight.”

Dipper tilted his head in confusion, knowing the demon usually liked to talk for hours. The demon was rather fond of his own voice.

“Why?” He asked. Bill hovered higher into the air, growing slightly larger.

“This is more of a “take away and think about it” lesson more than anything.” The demon replied seriously. Dipper straightened up, opening his book. So he was surprised when Bill, with a snap of his fingers, closed it again. The book disappeared in his hands in a burst of flame.

“I want you to listen, and don’t interrupt.” Bill actually seemed slightly ( _ever_ so slightly) nervous. “Understand?”

“Yes.” Dipper answered quietly. He watched as the triangle began to glow slightly.

“You asked me what I was planning. I’d thought I’d give you the answer sooner rather than later.” The demon began. He paused. “Do you know where I come from, Pine Tree? A two dimensional planet. Everything flat, everything straight, plain, boring –“ Bill, who’s voice was quickly growing in volume, took a deep breath and composed himself. “I hated my planet. So I destroyed it.”

Dipper listened cautiously, wondering where it was all going.

“I’m planning something big, something huge, something spectacular! And I want you to join me!” The demon grew suddenly excited. He raised his arms upwards and Dipper watched as a giant tear in the sky appeared above him. It’s red light cast a shadow over the mindscape, making shadows shift and dance. It looked terrifying and Dipper wanted to run, but he stayed in his seat. Bill’s voice became louder the larger the image grew.

“I want to renovate this world, make it my own. Everything upside down and chaotic in this beautiful three-dimensional paradise! Everything my way, the way I’ve always dreamed it to be! I call it Weirdmaggedon!” Bill’s body shone red like the tear, and Dipper couldn’t take his eyes away from the scene unfolding in front of him. “And I’m personally inviting you to leave these meat sacks behind and live a better, eternal life!”

“You want to kill all of mankind, and take the Earth?” Dipper asked quietly.

“That’s the idea.” Bill changed back to his usual self, but the image behind him stayed. Dipper was drawn to it once more, strangely finding something beautiful in its depths. He pushed it away.

“No.” Dipper managed to say, eyes wide in fear.

He shouldn’t known, he should’ve known all along. Why, _why_ did he let himself believe that Bill wasn’t manipulating him? _He should’ve known that nothing lasts._ Bill was using him, nothing more, nothing less. Dipper stood up abruptly, his seat clattering to the floor.

“What?” Bill asked, seemingly bewildered.

“No! I said no! I’m not your puppet!” Dipper yelled, stumbling away. The mindscape was cracking around him, the scarlet light flickering and dying.

“You tricked me! You’re just like _them_!” Dipper laughed hysterically, raking a hand through his hair. “Why did I even listen to you?! You’re a demon!”

He should’ve said no, but now Bill wanted him to become some kind of war machine for him? Then what? Dispose of him? Would he just be another body that Bill steps on to reach the top. It was all too good to be true, but somehow he didn’t see.

Before anyone had chance to say anything more, the world collapsed around them in a swirling vortex of red and black. The blackboard, the desk, the trees – all were destroyed around him. The ground crumbled underneath him and Dipper felt himself falling through it, a stray tear slipping out of his eyelid and floating in the air above him.

Dipper fell out of his bed with a thump, eyes snapping open as he did so. It took him a while to adjust to his surroundings, the red tear in the sky still burning in his mind. He chose to stay on the floor rather than get up.

The symbol on his wrist suddenly glowed, but with a growl Dipper managed to deny Bill passage. It still stayed bold and glowing on his skin, but the teen didn’t notice.

Instead he curled in on himself, retreating back to the shell he had created a few weeks ago. His possessions floated around him and, when Dipper buried his head into his knees, they combusted into a green light.

He clutched his head, unaware of the biting items around him, or the ring of fire that had surrounded him. It didn’t burn his room, but stayed contained in one area, never dying.

The night stretched into day, and Dipper looked up blearily at the triangular window once the sun hit his face. The red writing on his palm caught his eye and he traced the letters with his finger.

“Trust No One.” He whispered to himself. He sighed, shoving the hand into his pocket as he stood. The teen stepped through the ring of fire easily and it immediately distinguished, joining the other piles of ash on the ground.

Dipper didn’t bother grabbing his jacket as he threw on some of his clothes. Sighing, he pushed some of the ash to the side with his toe before opening his door.

The rest of the shack, unfortunately, was already awake and moving. He could hear Mabel and Stan downstairs, chattering happily. Dipper wasn’t aware how long he had sat in his room until now, swallowed in his misery.

He slowly began to shuffle down the hall, not even reacting as Ford studied him carefully as he walked past. Dipper found himself tending out of instinct, but relaxed when the man didn’t try to talk to him. There was heartbeat of time, and then he suddenly felt large fingers clasp his wrist tightly and thrust it up into the air. He was pulled forward violently with the movement, crying out. Dipper span around, eyes widening in fear.

Ford was holding his wrist in a vice-grip – the very wrist that had the symbol etched into the skin. At that moment it chose to pulse, and any hopes of saying it was a tattoo was thrown out of the window. The teen tried to pull away but it was too late. The damage had been done.

Dipper’s brown eyes met with Ford’s cold, blue ones, which narrowed.

“Bill.” The author muttered, his gaze burning into the younger. “So you _do_ know something about him.”


	14. End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m thinking of naming all of these chapters because it’s been bugging me for a while.

He ran.

Wrenching his hand out of the author’s grip, he turned his heel and ran in the opposite direction, back into his room. Ford was following, his heavy footsteps growing louder as he was chased down the corridor.

“Dipper!” The older yelled. Dipper turned into his room and slammed the door just as he reached him, pressing his body against it as a poor attempt of a barricade.

“Dipper! Open the door! I can help you!” Ford was saying all the right words, but they came out wrong. He could hear the anger and danger beneath the tone, making him push against the wood harder.

“Dipper!” The author suddenly slammed himself against the door, pushing it back. Through the crack, Dipper watched as Ford’s hand began to reach through, grasping the air. Dipper leapt back with a yell.

“No!” Dipper let his magic burst from his palms, and the door began to close shut on the author’s wrist with a crunch. Ford was forced to retract it with a cry, letting Dipper close it fully.

With a quick snap of his fingers, he moved all the furniture against the door and stumbled back in fear.

“Dipper! Get out of there this instant! I’m not going to hurt you!” Ford yelled at the other side. Dipper shook his head, dropping to his knees. “I can cure you Dipper, but you have to trust me!” The banging wouldn’t stop, and the furniture wobbled dangerously with each bang.

“What’s going on here?” Dipper looked up from his knees when he heard Grunkle Stan’s gruff voice, laced with confusion. Though Stan didn’t stick up for Dipper often, it was clear that Ford was in the wrong for once. His Grunkle would hopefully calm his brother down long enough for him to escape. Where he would go he didn’t know, just _away._

For a few seconds, the hammering stopped, letting Dipper breathe. He could hear a muted conversation at the other end, but could only pick up things like “Bill” and “possession”

“Dipper?” Stan finally addressed him, making him crawl closer to the door. But the next words made his heart freeze, eyes widening with tears.

“Could ya come out for a second before my brother breaks the door?”

“No!” Dipper heard himself cry as he pressed himself against the opposite wall.

“Well, I tried.” He heard Stan say before the banging was back, twice as loud. Twice the hands. Twice the force.

“Just open the door!” Ford tried to persuade, but it fell deaf on Dipper’s ears. The teen was clutching his head, tears threatening to fall from his eyes as he searched desperately for a way out of this situation. The mark that had began this all was beginning to burn as Bill pushed more forcefully to get through. For a moment Dipper almost let him, longing for someone to tell him what to do next, but his memories flashed back to him and he clamped his hand over the bruised wrist. He couldn’t trust anyone anymore, just as he had thought. The scarlet words on his hand served as a painful reminder of what happened if he did.

There was nowhere he could go, nothing he could do to stop the doom crashing towards him on both sides. A puppet or prisoner, each was the same. It was like being asked to distinguish two shades of black.

And he couldn’t pretend that it was anything more to him anymore; even if everything was stored out calmly, it would never be the same. He knew, in that moment, that he would never forget the way he was huddled against the wall, fearing for his life.

The furniture gave an alarming wobble and began to fall as his grunkles persisted. He could see the gap growing wider, and Ford’s blue eye flash through it.

_He wanted it all to end._

He didn’t want to be Dipper. He didn’t want to be Mason. He didn’t want to _be_.

“Let me go somewhere else. I want no one there. I want to leave forever…” Dipper closed his eyes tight, trying to imagine that his life wasn’t going to end in a few moments. His magic pulsed under his skin but he barely paid it any attention. All we was trying to do is not cry, never cry.

“Dipper! Stay there!”

“Dipper it’s going to be fine!”

“Dipper!”

“ _Dipper!”_

“Leave me alone!” Dipper suddenly screamed desperately. The cry tore his throat and he could feel the tears building beneath his closed eyes.

Eyes that were quickly opened, however, at the sudden feeling of complete weightlessness.

Colours were swirling around him in a mess of greens and blacks, slowly forming images. Dipper was falling through the air it seemed, arm outstretched.

The teen watched the world around him change with fascination as the colours twisted into trees and clouds. He wasn’t in the shack anymore, but in a forest. It was as if he –

“Teleported.” Dipper finished his thoughts, looking around slowly. He vaguely recognised the surrounding forest and let himself stand there for a while. “Did I seriously just do that?”

Bill had mentioned something about teleportation – but he thought he would have to learn that as well. But it seemed as if it was more of a fight or flight reflex rather than actual logic.

The surprise of teleporting was short-lived, however, as reality caught up with him.

He thought – he believed – that it would be different. He wanted to think that his family would stick to him, but now all he could think of was the hammering door, _Ford’s eye looking through the gap –_

He wanted to laugh at it all, but instead he struggled to breathe. It was like someone was standing on his chest, slowly putting on more pressure. He dimly realised he was having a panic attack, but at this point it was too out of control. Clutching his chest, he fell to the ground. He wanted to turn to someone – anyone – but the only person that came into his mind was the one that started this chain of events.

The mark burned again and Dipper finally let go, digging his fingers into the ground as he fought to breathe. He could feel the presence behind him but didn’t turn nor react. As the wind blew, the trees rustled, Bill’s voice spoke darkly, forcing everything else into silence.

“They are all the same.”

“I thought –“ Dipper found that he couldn’t finish the sentence, and let out a shaky gasp of air. He stood up, back turned to the triangle. He didn’t know what – maybe the raw betrayals, the mistrust leaking through him from all sides – but Dipper found himself speaking his mind for the first time in his life.

“I don’t want to be a prisoner, or a puppet anymore.” He shook his head, still not looking at a demon. “But I always end up being one or the other.”

“I never wanted you as my puppet, but rather an equal.” Bill replied quietly. “You don’t deserve to deal with any human any longer.”

“I thought they would be better.” Dipper whispered. “But I was wrong.”

“I think you are ready for your next lesson.” Bill announced. Dipper turned and stared into the glowing red eye, giving a short nod. 

“Teach me.”


	15. Final Lesson

Bill was leading him somewhere. Dipper didn’t know where, but didn’t want to ask. He sensed that words weren’t needed for what they were doing now or what they were going to do – no, he kept walking obediently. His eyes were trained onto the demon’s back, who hadn’t turned to look back once. He was relying on Dipper to follow him, and Dipper wasn’t one to disobey at this point.

In another world, another timeline, then maybe he would be running or fighting. He thought to all the other Dipper’s out there and what he could’ve been doing. Would there be a universe where he was still talking to Mabel? Where he would be truly happy?

“Big thoughts lead to bigger outcomes. But now is not the time to think of the what-ifs.” Bill said, able to read his mind. Dipper hummed, but said nothing and so the silence returned.

They were deep in the forest now, he knew that much – he could see goblins and fairies in bushes, watching him carefully. Dipper barely gave them a second glance, eyes only following the triangle.

He rubbed his wrist, feeling the skin tender and painful. When he lifted it up, he saw finger-shaped bruises wrapped around it. He didn’t realise he had been held that hard.

“Here.” Bill suddenly announced, his voice barely catching on the wind. It was a strange difference to the usual echoing laughter.

Dipper stopped, staring out in front of him. There was nothing different about this location from the rest of the forest, save for a few rabbits hopping slowly. Their wide eyes stared at Dipper, who stared back blankly.

“Capture one and bring it to me.” Bill asked. Dipper, with a quick glance at the demon, did as he was told. One was lifted off the ground and moved towards them both.

Dipper waited in silence, lowering the rabbit to the ground. It quivered, but the teen kept it frozen in place as he waited for the teachings.

“This next lesson is the final lesson you will have with me before you are able to learn yourself.” Bill began, hovering to Dipper’s side. He didn’t look at the teen but kept his eye on the rabbit. “And I want you to listen.” Bill paused as the wind ruffled the trees.

“If you can’t learn this then you will never be ready.”

“I’m ready.” Dipper replied quietly. The rabbit’s ear twitched.

“Kill it.”

Dipper froze, eyes widening at the soft words. Bill was still looking at the rabbit.

“Kill it.” The demon repeated, more forcefully. “I want you to carve out its heart and bury it.”

“What?” Dipper shook his head, heart hammering. The rabbit was staring at him, it’s black eye burning into his own. “It hasn’t _done_ anything!”

“I know. So kill it.” Bill hovered behind him and Dipper could feel his gaze burning into his neck.

“I-I-“ Dipper took a step back, trying to look away from the frightened animal. It refused to take its eye from him, however.

Dipper wondered whether it knew its time was short.

“Everything dies, Mason.” Bill said quietly. Dipper’s breath hitched. “Mankind have a habit of killing those who don’t deserve to. So you will do the same, and you will understand!”

“Understand what?!” Dipper yelled. He felt tears burn in his eyes when Bill didn’t give an answer.

The wind was now a screaming gale, pushing Dipper forward towards the rabbit. He still hadn’t let go of it, and it was hovering a few inches off the ground.

Leaves scattered around him as he walked forward, creating a circle around him and the animal. Something wet was dripping onto his cheek as he knelt down, already knowing what he was going to do.

The knife materialised out of the air and was smooth in his hand, almost as if this was meant to be. And yet his arms shook as he raised the blade above him, watching as the metal glimmered in the rabbit’s black eye.

He wondered whether it knew its time was short. He wondered whether it knew what was about to happen. Whether it knew the last thing it would see was the knife plunging down on it.

The action was easy in itself. He was quick, slicing its chest open and pulling out its heart. The rabbit made a choked squeal before its eyes glazed, lying limp on Dipper’s knees.

It was still looking up at him.

His fingers found their way into its fur, winding into the strands. White was quickly soaking into a dark red, almost black, but Dipper refused to let go.

It was still looking up at him.

_It was still looking up at –_

With a cry, Dipper broke down for the first time he could remember. He pressed the rabbit’s warm body into his own, feeling the blood soak his clothes and skin. He didn’t care, only held it tighter as he sobbed into the howling wind. He couldn’t _breathe,_ choking on his own sorrow as the knife cluttered to the ground, still dripping.

The heart was still held in his other hand, messily bleeding over his bandage.

In another world, another timeline, he was sure that any Dipper would be adventuring in these woods happily. Was he always destined to chose this path, or did he death his destiny? Was there another place where he was happy – fully content – without a care in the world?

Not killing innocent creatures.

“Why?” Dipper whispered. He didn’t turn around, but gently placed the rabbit’s body beside him and began to finish his work.

“I had to.” Bill answered. Dipper focused on digging a small hole, scrabbling away the dirt with his bare hands. The stones cut into his skin, the dirt tearing his nails, but the pain was nothing to him.

“To punish the guilty, the innocent must be slain. It’s the way of the universe, the very first law.” The demon watched as Dipper placed the heart into the hole. “That rabbit never did anything to anyone.”

“Then why?” Dipper buried the organ, staring up at Bill. The demon didn’t answer for a long time, and when he did it was almost too quiet to hear.

“If you can kill something that is truly innocent you can kill anything.” The triangle said. “And what species deserves to die more than the humans? You needed to do this to see that everything ends in blood no matter what. It is inevitable.”

“What if I didn’t kill the rabbit?” Dipper asked in a whisper.

It was still looking at him.

_He wondered whether it knew –_

“I would’ve had to kill you.” Bill was honest, which surprised the teen. All he did was give a small nod.

He couldn’t look away from it.

“Weirdmaggedon will change this. All of this.” The demon hovered closer to him, also staring down at the rabbit.

“Everything will be the way I – _we –_ want it. Glorious chaos for the guilty to get lost in.” Bill gave a short laugh. “Not to mention that chaos is always fun to create.”

When recalling back on this moment (as he stared into the rabbit’s eyes one last time, as his fragmented reflection shone in the blade of the knife), Dipper would always remember the feeling in his chest. It was like a snap, like someone switched something off inside him. He would recall watching the blood of the white rabbit soak into the ground, staining the flowers, and feeling a oddly uplifting feeling. He was letting everything go, he supposed. Anything holding him back left that afternoon.

And Dipper would always be grateful for it.

“I join you in Weirdmaggedon,” Dipper held out his hand, watching as green flames surrounded it. “and you get to have fun. I won’t hold you back.”

Bill broke out of his monochrome colours as he glowed brightly, with pride or joy he didn’t know.

“You’ve got yourself a deal!” Bill shook his hand happily, and their flames twisted together. The sparks fell to the ground and flames quickly erupted around them.

“Are you going to do anything about this?” Bill asked in amusement as the forest caught fire around them. Dipper shrugged, stepping over the rabbit.

“You know what?” The teen shot a quick burst of fire at the nearest tree, engulfing it in his green flame. “I think it looks better this way.”


	16. Final Straw

Dipper watched his fire engulf the trees, calmly sitting on the rock a few metres away. Bill was beside him, laughing crazily.

“Look at that! Look at it go!” The demon shouted. All insanity aside, Bill did have a point – he found himself urging the fire on, wanting to see how big it could get before dying out. He wanted the flames to crawl higher and higher until they reached the sky itself.

Someone would notice soon, however, and then naturally people would come rushing to try and put it out. Dipper gave a small chuckle at the thought.

_Good luck with that one._

The flames were uncontrollable, and it was evaporating the water in the stream.

However, attention meant people, and people meant questions. He was sure at least one person would ask why he was sitting on a rock (apparently on his own) and watching the forest burn. To that, he would say he didn’t know.

“People are going to be here soon.” Dipper voiced his thoughts to Bill (probably unnecessarily seeing as the demon could read his mind) and stood up. Blood was still running down his arms, and his clothes were covered in it.

“Yeah, you don’t look too friendly right now Pine Tree.” Bill’s eye gazed at his bloody clothes. “You might want to change them.”

“Why?” Dipper asked, surprised. “It’s not like I want to go back near people.”

“Well you’re going to have to if you want this to work.” The demon answered. Dipper raised an eyebrow.

“What are you planning?” He asked cautiously.

“Well, old Sixter has something I need to start Weirdmaggedon.” Bill explained. Dipper felt his knuckles clench at the mention of his grunkle, the dark bruise throbbing on his wrist. Bill caught his expression.

“It’s okay! It’s just an in-and-out operation. All you need to do it grab the rift in his bunker and break it outside of the shack!” The triangle explained. “And then Weirdmaggedon can begin!” He finished excitedly. With a short nod, Dipper began to turn back towards the shack, dragging his feet across the floor.

“So you might not want to turn up in bloody clothes…” Bill suggested. Dipper looked down, giving another nod.

“You’re right about that.”

“I’m always right!”

Dipper narrowed his eyes, and with a snap of his fingers the blood was pulled out of the material and stayed in the air. The teen also decided to take off his coat, which was damaged beyond repair. Besides, he preferred his blue vest anyway, but the summer had been unusually cold so far.

“What –“ Dipper suddenly said as he looked down at his arms. They were covered in symbols and ruins, each corresponding to each magical talent of his.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have burnt the coat.” Dipper hummed. The coat cracked in front of him, already done for. “Oh well. They know something’s up. I can play it off long enough.”

“Use that child-like innocence! Always fools them!” Bill advised loudly. Dipper smiled and nodded.

“It’s better than turning up with –“ Dipper cut off at the sight of his sister. She was standing opposite him breathlessly.

The two siblings stood in silence, one in suspicion and another in deviance. It was Mabel who spoke first, as always.

“Who were you talking to?” She asked. Dipper lied smoothly, knowing his sister wasn’t hard to fool.

“Myself.” He replied. “What are you doing here?” He made his voice lighter, less hostile.

“I was told to look for you. Grunkle Ford wants to see you.” Mabel answered. Dipper searched her expression, and could tell that that wasn’t all that Ford had said to her. She was hiding something, but after a quick glance at Bill, he decided to play dumb. This was his only way back inside.

“Yeah. I need to ask him about some things…” he made his voice sound weak, scared – like the old Dipper Mabel was desperate for.

“Like those marks on your arms?” Mabel asked softly. She was falling for it, and Dipper wanted to laugh at how easy it was.

“Yeah…I don’t remember them being there…” Dipper said quietly, giving a sniffle for good measure. He heard Bill laugh loudly beside him and felt his own lips twitch. It took all his effort to stay in control.

“It’s ok bro-bro! Ford knows what to do.” Mabel supposedly reassured. Dipper gave a feeble nod and began to follow his sister back to the shack. Once her back was turned, he rolled his eyes and inspected his nails. Right now he could be practicing his magic, but instead he had to play dumb with his sister.

“Wow. She was easy to fool.” Bill commented. “Sixter won’t be as easy.”

Dipper gave a quick nod.

Mabel turned around as the Mystery Shack came into view, and Dipper quickly switched back to his previous expression.

“Soon you’ll be back to your silly self, you’ll see!” Mabel said happily. Dipper gave a small smile.

“Thanks Mabel.” He said, walking slowly into the shack. Mabel shut the door behind him. The room was strangely silent, and Ford was nowhere in sight.

“It’s a trap!” Bill suddenly yelled, his warning making Dipper freeze. But it was too late.

Strong arms suddenly grabbed him from behind, pinning him to a bulky chest. Dipper struggled in the grip but was only able to kick his legs as he was dragged to the bunker.

 _The rift!_ Dipper remembered. He decided to cooperate for now, knowing that they were leading him to where he wanted to go.

“It’s for your own good, kid.” So it was Stan that was holding him. Dipper couldn’t help but scoff at his words, kicking his shin.

“Careful.” Bill warned. The triangle was hovering in front of Dipper, watching Stan with his eye. “Just grab the rift and run. We can deal with them later.”

Stan had finished walking down the stairs, and now was entering a room full of gadgets and computers. Bill immediately began looking around for the rift in question.

Meanwhile, Dipper was thrown into a chair and quickly bound at the wrists and ankles.

“It’s not here.” Bill told him, moving back to his side. Dipper nodded, watching with wide eyes as Stan took a few steps away from him, unable to meet his eyes.

_What was going on?_

Dipper began to struggle in his chair, real fear pounding in his chest. This was only increased at the sight of Ford.

The author strode into the room, Mabel at his side, with something familiar held in his arms. The silver tree glimmered in the half light.

His journal.

“Pine Tree…” Bill warned. Dipper could only watch as Ford crouched in front of him, tracing a finger over the symbols crawling up his arms.

“Bill.” He muttered. He roughly grabbed Dipper’s chin and shone a light through his eyes. Dipper winced.

“Not slitted yet. He isn’t fully possessed.” Ford said, earning a sigh of relief from Stan and Mabel. What had he told them?

“Possessed? What are you talking about?” Dipper asked in alarm. Ford didn’t answer, throwing his journal to the ground.

“We’re going to make you better Dipper. Don’t you worry. Just stay still.” The author placed a strange bowl over his head which was connected to many wires.

“Pine Tree get out of there!” Bill suddenly cried out. Dipper began to struggle harder, eyes widening when he found he couldn’t use his magic. Somehow Ford had made the chair immune.

This wasn’t an ordinary device.

“You will feel a small prick, and then it will be over. No more Bill in your mind.”

“No! He’s not in my mind!” This was technically true – Dipper had bound Bill to him in another way, not through the mind. Currently Bill was hovering in front of Ford, flipping him off.

“This won’t hurt.” Ford continued. His hand clutched a lever, and pulled.

Blinding pain suddenly overtook Dipper, and he let out a long scream as he thrashed. He screwed his eyes shut, his whole body fighting to get away. It was like someone was slicing each of his cells open with a fire poker, agonisingly slowly.

Dipper heard himself scream again as the pain only got worse as seconds dragged on. He wasn’t aware of anything but the ringing in his ears, the fire that was burning him alive. He opened one of his eyes slowly. There he saw his family watching him cry, silently stood together. Not one was moving to help him. He was alone.

The pain became too much, and it hurt too much to even scream anymore. His body was writhing, fingernails digging into the wood until they bled.

They were just staring at him. They weren’t helping him.

They were watching him suffer and refused to do anything.

_Why?_

Dipper could suddenly feel something building inside him, making the pain fade to numbness.

_Why?_

It was a warm energy rushing through his blood, ready to explode.

_Why?_

Dipper’s eyes snapped open, shimmering green.

_He didn’t need them._

The world exploded around him in a mix of fire and blood. The chair burst into flames under him and the flames wrapped themselves around his ankles as he floated into the air.

Objects combusted and hovered in a ring around him and the teen spread his arms out wide, floating higher and higher.

And there was his so-called family, pressing themselves against the wall pathetically. Well, they should’ve really seen this coming.

With a smile, the clothes on Dipper changed in a burst of fire. A tuxedo was a good choice for this fine occasion.

Eyes glowing, arms outstretched, fire coiling around his torso, Dipper Pines looked down at his “family”, a small grin gracing his lips.

And he laughed.


	17. Glass Breaks

Dipper, with the snap of his fingers, shot the biting objects down at the tree in front of him. With a yell, they ran behind him, still in shock.

“The rift Pine Tree!” Bill reminded him sharply from where he had been watching the events unfold. Dipper didn’t move, eyes fixed on a (for once) speechless Ford.

“As much as I would _love_ you to burn them to hell right now, I would really like to be there with you!” The demon said. Dipper turned to him, giving him a nod.

“Where is it?” The teen didn’t float back to the ground, but relaxed slightly as the last of the pain faded away. His head felt foggy, however, and his vision blurred at the edges.

“Just tear the thing down!” Bill replied with a cackle. Dipper grinned at the suggestion, raising his fist.

“If you insist.”

“Dipper wait –“ Stan yelled but it was too late; Dipper slammed his fist full of fire onto the wooden floorboards, watching in glee as they splintered and burned. Mabel screamed, Stan cursed and Ford ran to the other side of the room, pulling his family with him. Dipper watched them go with a frown.

“We’ll deal with them later. Trust me.” Bill growled, eye growing black dangerously. With a small grin, he turned his attention away from them and towards the gap in the floor.

Dipper slipped through the hole that made way to the third floor. Already, all of Ford’s research was burning into piles of ash and ember. Dipper walked through the flames casually, scanning the room for the object desired.

“Wow, he really hordes stuff doesn’t he?” Bill commented, peering through the boxes. “I can’t believe I made a deal with this guy.”

“You made a deal with Ford?” Dipper asked in surprise, stopping his search to look at the demon.

“That was a long time ago. And a big mistake.” Bill hummed. “Though it _almost_ worked.”

“What happened?” The teen asked curiously, tossing a box to the side and moving in to another.

“The usual.” Bill suddenly made his voice sound remarkably like Ford’s: “ _this is never what I wanted! The deal is off!”_ Bill scoffed. “As if you can break a deal with me!”

“What was the deal?” Dipper hovered over to the shelves, eying the artefacts curiously.

“That I would help him in his research, and in turn he would help me. Of course,” Bill laughed, “like everyone he thought that the second part would never come to pass.”The dream demon suddenly gave a loud cackle, rocking back in the air. “And then _he_ tried to take control when my end of the deal came into play! Can you imagine?!”

“So what happened next?” Dipper asked curiously, searching as he listened.

“You see, we were working on a portal that would be the key to the universe. _My_ universe.” Bill continued. “And when old Sixter sussed out my plan he shut it all off, cut production completely. That was, until he invited his dear brother to the shack for help.”

“Stan?” Dipper asked in surprise. “Really? Him?”

“For some emotion reasons I guess.” Bill shrugged. “Even if he had no clue what was going on.” Bill laughed loudly. “But that completely backfired, and old Sixter was launched into the portal after a few accidents.” Bill turned to Dipper. “And all these years Stanley has been trying to get him back. When he did, the portal left some rift material behind. That’s exactly what I need.”

Dipper nodded, turning back to the task at hand. The fire burnt around them, but not as quickly as he would’ve liked. It seemed like it was getting stopped by something.

“Why isn’t this place burning?” He voiced his thoughts to Bill, who was looking through the shelves again.

“Magical barriers. They’re every – I FOUND IT!” Bill suddenly cried out, voice echoing in excitement. Dipper immediately drifted over to him, staring down at the small object in front of him.

It was like a wild animal, twisting and thrashing against the glass sphere. It was black at the edges, but a deep purple shimmered in the centre. Dipper picked it up carefully, holding it to his eyes.

“Magnificent.” He whispered.

“And to think the only thing trapping it is glass...” Bill chuckled darkly. “And do you know what glass does best?”

“Break.” Dipper muttered. He stared at it for a few moments longer before snapping his fingers. In a swirling world of colour, he was taken out of the shack and a few metres away from his family. They weren’t aware of his presence yet.

“If he gets the rift we are done for!” Ford exclaimed loudly. Stan had his head in his hands.

“So you’re saying that Dipper has gone and teamed up will this demon that wants to destroy the world. And we never noticed.” The elder asked.

“Well I suspected something was amiss, but why would he team up with Bill?”

“I don’t know!” Mabel joined the conversation. “We weren’t mean to him or anything!”

“Well there’s always a reason.” Dipper barely caught Stan’s words. “I don’t think he would team up with this guy for nothing.”

Dipper blinked, looking at his Grunkle in surprise. Out of everyone, he was the closest to making actual sense. His face looked tired and worn, eyes shining with grief. Dipper found that he couldn’t stare at him for much longer, and turned his attention back to the man he loathed. It was much easier to hate than to think.

“No, I’m sure Bill manipulated him!” Ford interrupted loudly. “If only we could get that rift…”

Now, Dipper decided, was the time to make his presence known. He cleared his throat loudly.

Immediately, the three span around to face him, eyes widening as he waved the rift in front of them.

“Dipper, we can talk about this.” Ford held out his hands, eyes only focused on the rift.

“Talk about what?” Dipper responded. “I’ve already made up my mind.”

“Bro, you’ve made your point!” Mabel shouted. “You can stop now!”

Dipper’s eyes lit up in fury, and he let out a low growl. He threw the portal upwards, catching it in his other hand. He heard Ford gasp, and the elder almost lunged forward to catch it.

“Look at them squirm!” Bill cackled behind him, and Dipper let out a smile himself.

A storm was gathering behind them, one of Dipper’s own making. Clouds bunched together, hiding the sky.

“This isn’t what you want!” Ford tried again, stepping closer. “Bill is using you! You have to trust me!”

Dipper, with a glance at Bill, slowly walked forward. He replaced his expression with fake innocence, going as far to make his arm tremble.

“He…he made me do this.” Dipper whispered. He heard Bill scream with laughter behind him. Ford was buying every word, but not in concern for Dipper – he only had eyes for the rift and the rift alone. Dipper could have been anyone in that moment.

“It’s alright.” Ford reached out for the rift, barely addressing the teen. “We can fix this…”

Just as Ford’s fingers brushed against the glass, Dipper gave a sly grin and tip his hand with a small “oops!”.

“No!” Ford yelled, but it was too late; the glass shattered, and a twisting beam shot out of it and cut a hole into the sky.

Bill gave a hysterical laugh, his monochrome colours cracking and crumbling off his body as he slowly rose higher into the air.

Arms spread wide, the demon grew larger as the tear glowed brighter and stronger.

“It’s here! It’s finally here!” Bill yelled joyfully.

“No! No! No!” Ford shouted. He span to Dipper angrily, act forgotten. “What have you done?!” He spat.

Dipper stood calmly, staring at Sixter through glowing green eyes.

“Exactly what I wanted to do.” He replied. He raised his foot and kicked the author in the chest, sending him flying backwards into the dirt.

Dipper looked above him with a grin.

“And you’re too late.”

“At last! At long, long last! The gateway between worlds has opened! The event one billion years prophesized has finally come to pass! The day has come! The world is finally mine!” Bill cackled madly. He held out his hand, looking at Dipper. With a grin, Dipper floated upwards, taking it.

“This party never stops!” Bill continued. Dipper looked up at the tear in the sky, watching in awe as it grew larger. “Time is dead and meaning has no meaning! Existence is upside down and I reign supreme! Welcome, one and all, to Weirdmaggedon!”


	18. Sweet Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - graphic gore in this chapter.  
> Also, I would like to thank everyone who has left comments on this story so far. You are all really kind and they always leave me in greater spirits. There have been times where I haven’t wanted to continue because I don’t think I’m good enough, but the comments you have left me have given me more confidence in myself. I can’t always reply to them all and thank you personally (there are quite a lot) so I’ll thank you all personally here. You guys are the best :)

Bill let out an echoing laugh, rising higher into the air in a flash of blue and gold. Dipper watched as he stretched his arms and legs out wide.

“Three-dimensional form? Don’t mind if I do!” The demon’s body suddenly changed into 3D, glowing brightly.

The world was changing around them all as the tear in the sky grew larger. Freak weather was churning around them, animals were growing extra limbs and heads, buildings were standing on their own two feet and pulling up trees. The sky changed into a mix of reds, oranges and yellows as fire erupted in the forest, swallowing the ground whole. All the monsters he had ever studied were coming into the open – the borders had been broken as reality itself shifted. He heard screams of terror erupting from the town and found that it didn’t move him. He didn’t see any worth in the lives that were being ruined. They didn’t fully deserve it, no – but they also didn’t deserve to be saved.

“It’s beautiful! And I haven’t even got started yet!” Bill cried out happily. His eye suddenly shifted downwards, and he shouted in a low growl, “Where do you think _you’re_ going?”

Dipper quickly followed his gaze, and found the people he once called family making a dash for the shack.

“Not happening.” Dipper muttered, and with a snap of his fingers that were surrounded in a ring of his fire that climbed higher and higher into the sky. They span around, staring up at him.

“Dipper please!” Mabel pleaded. Dipper found himself laughing at the attempt, wiping a tear from his eye. It really was too late – after all she’d done she thought that an apology would fix everything. How naïve.

“Checking out early?” Bill floated down to them and Dipper followed. The demon laughed. “But you don’t have permission!”

“Bill, leave my family out of this!” Ford yelled over the flames. Dipper couldn’t help but roles his eyes – even now, in the face of death, his voice still held that arrogance that he always loathed. “This is just between you and me!”

“Oh it is! I don’t care what happens to your family!” Bill replied, eye glinting. “But it’s not just me that’s having a say in this, is it?”

All attention was turned to Dipper, who pretended to think. He scanned over all their faces – Mabel’s large-eyed look, Ford’s determination, and Stan’s hopelessness etched in every wrinkle. Dipper found that he couldn’t look at the heartbreak on his face for too long. Did he really care about him, even now?

It didn’t matter, his decision was already made, and he wasn’t going to change it.

“Hmm…” Dipper stared directly into Ford’s narrowed eyes with a smile. “I want them dead.”

“Brilliant!” Bill clapped his hands together in a business-like fashion, rubbing them together. “Then I’m afraid they’re going to have to go Sixter!”

Taking Dipper by surprise, Ford suddenly jumped through the flames and made a mad dash to the shack. Dipper didn’t move, but watched him go.

“Do you want to deal with that?” He asked the triangle. Bill shrugged.

“You can do it if you like. I don’t need him.” He answered. With a grin, Dipper nodded and let himself fall to the ground.

“Dipper…” Stan muttered as he walked past, but he paid them no mind.

With a snap of his fingers, the door swung open, revealing the author he once admired flicking through his journals frantically. He looked up sharply when the door banged, eyes widening in surprise.

“How are you here? The border –“ he began, but Dipper cut him off. He didn’t come to talk.

“I don’t care about anything you’re going to say, so let’s skip that part, okay?” When he received no answer, he nodded. “Good. Now…”

With a burst of magic, Dipper launched himself at Ford with a snarl. The author dodged quickly, pulling out his gun.

The teen clung to the wall he landed on, staring around with his glowing eyes. At the sight of them, Ford’s grip loosened on the gun for a slight second, and so Dipper took his chance.

He jumped forward again, kicking Ford’s face hard enough to send him sprawling to the other side of the room. He let out a laugh, showing his newly-pointed teeth. Surely it wasn’t this easy?

“I’m going to give you a five second head start.” Dipper straightened up, brushing off his clothes. Ford stumbled backwards, holding his jaw.

“Five.” Dipper began to count. The author, with one last glance, dashed into the next room.

“Four.”

The teen could feel excitement tingling throughout his body, the adrenaline leaving him breathless.

“Three.”

There was a bang as Ford opened the next door and rapid footsteps echoed as he ran up the stairs.

“Two.”

Which was a really stupid idea, Dipper thought. He was probably trying to find Dipper’s own journal to try and find weaknesses.

“One.”

The thought of Ford – the author, the scientist – getting desperate made him smile.

“Zero.” He whispered to himself. In a rush of magic and excitement, Dipper ran across the wall on all fours, leaping to the banister. The wood was set alight under him with every step he took, and the wood splintered beneath his fingers.

He skidded to the top landing, looking both ways eagerly. He smiled when he saw one of the doors was slightly open, and he could hear frantic muttering inside.

Casually, he opened the door with a raised eyebrow.

Ford was standing on the windowsill, creating as much difference between them as possible. Dipper stopped in the doorway.

“Stay back!” The author warned, holding the second journal out in front of him like a sword. “I’m warning you!”

“Or what?” Dipper took a step forward. “Are you going to –“

“ _G_ _ladio P_ _ercutiens!”_ Ford suddenly yelled. Dipper was kicked back, slamming down the hallway. Something warm and wet was running down one side of his face, cutting deep into his eye.

“What?” Dipper muttered. He pressed his hand to the wound, watching the blood drip off his fingertips. It ran steadily down his neck, soaking his clothes. It was like someone had sliced a deep cut in his face with a knife.

The shock wore off, and Dipper felt a smile creep on his face and for some reason, the entire situation was hilarious to him.

He picked himself up, and began to walk forward again, picking up speed as he went.

 _“G_ _ladio P_ _ercutiens!”_ Ford yelled again. With another blinding flash, Dipper felt blood running down his arm. He gave a small laugh, speeding up.

“ _G_ _ladio P_ _ercutiens! G_ _ladio P_ _ercutiens!”_ Ford yelled, but Dipper only moved faster, the cuts barely a hindrance. As he was slashed across the chest, Dipper broke into a run and crashed into Ford.

The force made them both break through the wall and fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Dipper sprung back, unhurt, and was pleased to find that Ford’s leg was bent at an unnatural angle, the white bone cutting through the skin. The book lay discarded a few metres away, bloody and torn.

“Nice spell you got there.” Dipper smiled, wiping the blood from his face. “A good effort.”

Ford was clawing at the dirt as he tried to crawl away from him. With every inch Ford moved, he would take a step forward.

A glint of metal caught Dipper’s eye, and he grinned at the axe lying on the ground a few metres away. He lifted it out of the air and into his waiting hand.

Dipper slowly walked towards him, dragging the axe on the ground. He was about to raise it when Ford quickly twisted around, revealing a gun in his left hand.

The shot echoed through the woods and the bullet tore through Dipper’s chest and back. A hole was clearly seen through his middle, dripping with blood.

The teen froze, breath caught in his throat, as the pain burned through his body.

“You’re a monster.” Ford hissed at him. His words sounded distant, too far away to fully understand “You’ve become a monster. You’re not human anymore.”

Dipper’s gaze slowly turned to the author.

“You say that…as if it’s a bad thing…” he muttered, blood spluttering out of his mouth. “But really…” the teen grinned, feeling his magic weave through his body. “I think it has more benefits…”

He began to laugh as the skin pulled itself together again, until it was as good as new. The cuts on his arms and torso did the same, sealing up effortlessly.

“I think I’m going to keep this one.” Dipper traced the cut on his face. “Something to remember you by.”

Ford pushed himself off the ground as tried to limp away from his opponent. With a small sigh, Dipper rolled his eyes and threw the axe into his back. With a yell of pain, the author fell to the ground, the weapon sticking out of his spine.

Dipper hummed as he walked forward, pulling the axe out of his flesh. Ford yelled again, trying to crawl away. 

“Please! I’ll give you anything!” Ford begged breathlessly as Dipper raised the axe into the air once more. “Anything at all!”

Dipper, with a snarl, rolled his body on its back with his foot so the author was forced to stare at him.

“I want you dead.” He answered, and swung his axe down with all his strength. The blood leaked over the floor, coating the grass deep red.

~

“Pine Tree! You’re back!” Bill greeted as soon as he came into view. He had been juggling Mabel and Stan for entertainment, but dropped them once he returned.

Dipper gripped the object behind his back tightly as Stan turned to look at him. His grey eyes moved from the blood on his clothes to the scar across his eye.

“What have you done with my brother?” He asked quietly, pushing himself upright. Dipper, with a flourish, threw the object he had been hiding in front of him.

Ford’s severed head rolled across the ground, stopping at Stan’s feet. His face was still frozen from the second before he died: eyes wide, mouth parted in a silent plea.

“He died a coward.” He said over Mabel’s scream. Stan dropped to his knees, cradling the head.

Bill’s howls of laughter filled the air as Dipper looked on to his terrified family, a coy smile dancing on his lips.


	19. Chaos Rises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is boring, but is all set up for the next chapter

“Right!” Bill yelled, stretching. “As much as I would like to stay and chat, I’ve got work to do!” The demon held out his hand, which Dipper took. He looked down at the remaining parts of his family, frowning.

“And don’t do anything whilst I’m gone.” He told them. “Because I won’t hold back if you do.”

Both he and Bill, without any further ado, raised their fingers and snapped them, where they were immediately surrounded by a swirl of colour.

“Can these teleport to different planets?” Dipper asked casually, watching the colours dance.

“Different planets, universes, dimensions, you name it!” Bill replied. The colours stopped, and Dipper found they were floating in the centre of the town.

Below them was chaos – buildings were burning, creatures were roaming the streets, people were desperately trying to survive; but this wasn’t Gravity Falls anymore. It was chaotic ruin, and Dipper found himself not feeling the twisting guilt that he expected, but a sense of euphoria: power.

These people had never done anything for him, but rather mocked him at each corner. They hadn’t actually done anything bad, per say, but they weren’t good people either.

It was a good starting point.

Bill cleared his throat beside him, straightening his bow tie.

“Alright, listen up you one lifespan, three dimensional, five sense skin puppets!” He growled in a low voice. The remaining people stared up at him, eyes wide. “For one trillion years I've been trapped in my own decaying dimension, waiting for a new universe to call my own.” Bill grinned, his voice turning back to normal. “Name's Bill! But you can call me your new lord and master for all of eternity!” He cackled. Dipper watched as the people began to scream again.

One of the town’s residents, Lazy Suzan, suddenly spotted him in the sky and pointed up.

“Dipper Pines? Is that you?” She asked stupidly. Dipper flinched, gritting his teeth.

“Dipper! It is!” Someone else said, and murmurings ran across the crowd. Dipper rolled his eyes with a sigh.

“Well done.” He muttered. With a swipe of his hand, he made the building next to them fall over, almost killing them under the rubble. They screamed, huddling to the other side like sheep.

“Now, meet the gang of interdimensional criminals and nightmares I call my friends!” Bill continued with a flourish of his hands. The words had barely passed before the rift opened wider and a number of dark figures jumped out. “8 Ball! Kryptos! The being whose name must never be said!” Bill announced happily. At the same time the two said demons landed on the building beside them. Bill cackled. “What the heck. It's Zanthar.” More demons flooded out of the tear, and Bill listed them all. “Then of course there’s Teeth, Keyhole, Hectorgon, Amorphous Shape, Pyronica, Paci-Fire, and these guys.” The winged eyeballs Dipper had seen flying around the town seemed to grow in numbers, and circled the people who were trembling helplessly. “This is our town now, boys!” Bill happily finished. He span higher into the air with a loud cackle.

“Now, about that castle…” he hummed, then suddenly grew larger. Behind him, a pyramid formed high in the sky and Bill clapped his hands with joy.

“Ta da! Isn’t that great!” The demon looked down at the humans, eye narrowing. “You don’t like it? Well, I hope you like this!” He yelled as the winged eyes flew down upon the humans. Flashes of red light turned them all to stone. Bill laughed happily.

“Now this is what I’m talking about!” He yelled.

“So Bill, this is your new apprentice?” A pink demon crept up behind Dipper, her claws gripping onto his shoulder. The other demons crowned around him, muttering.

“Yes he is. Well observed.” Bill said sarcastically.

“I’m Dipper.” Dipper introduced himself. The pink demon hummed.

“Are you sure he isn’t like the last one?” She questioned, “what was his name? Stanford?”

Dipper growled, letting rage control his actions as he shot a ball of fire at her chest, sending her crashing onto the ground.

“I am not like Stanford.” He said quietly, stepping on her chest. The demon squirmed beneath him. “I killed him.”

“Alright, alright!” The pink demon said, wiggling out of his grasp. She composed herself embarrassedly. “It was just a question…”

“Anyone else want to rip on my apprentice?” Bill asked, his body glowing in amusement. The demons shook their head, and Dipper smiled. “Good. Now get to work!” The triangle said. “And remember, party is in five hours, don’t be late!”

Dipper watched them split off, some looking back at him cautiously. He was about to do the same, but Bill held him back.

“Not yet. I need you to do something for me.” He asked. Dipper turned to him in surprise.

“What?” He asked.

“I need you to get Gideon Gleeful on my side.” He replied, swinging his cane.

“Him?” Dipper rolled his eyes. “Really?”

“I need some kind of puppet to do all of the boring work.” The demon shrugged. “He’s only temporary.”

“Alright.” Dipper agreed. He landed on the building below them. “You owe me for this.”

“Yeah yeah.” Bill dismissed, waving his hand. “This is just repayment for all those lessons I gave you.”

Dipper smiled, shaking his head. He turned, and began to run over the buildings, leaping through the gaps.

“Ugh, Gideon.” He muttered. He stopped, dusting off his outfit. Though stylish, it wasn’t very practical for something like this.

“Well I can change that...” with a snap of his fingers, the outfit was consumed by coils of fire. They snaked around his body, changing the outfit before his eyes.

He was now wearing a dark coat, with a black shirt with a red eye blazing in the centre. He had chosen some black trousers, finished with buckled boots. The outfit was by far more flexible, and easier to move around in. He would miss the tuxedo, but he had years to use it again.

“That’s better.” He said to himself, inspecting it. He was about to keep going when a large shake of the Earth made him stumble. He looked around for the creator of the problem, his eye landing on an oversized stag approaching him. It had obviously been in contact with the growth crystals. Dipper paused.

“Why not?” He muttered. He floated towards the stag, looking into its black eye.

“You’ll do perfectly.” Suddenly, Dipper slammed his hand down onto the deer’s skin, digging his nails down deep into the flesh. The stag erupted in flames, shrieking as it was burnt to the bone, thrashing in his grip. Dipper smiled as the skin ebbed away, leaving the bloody bone. The stag was still standing, recovering quickly from the burning.

The teen grinned, mounting the deer. He stroked its neck, sending a request into its mind.

“The Gravity Falls Prison.” He muttered. The stag roared, bounding over to the required destination. Dipper sat back, watching the chaos around him.

The people of the town were hiding in dumpsters and abandoned stores, eyes wide and fearful. Dipper frowned.

“Hey! Eyeballs!” He called over the creatures, which flapped eagerly towards him. “You missed some.” He pointed over to where Manly Dan was hiding in the dumpster, and to Toby who was taking refuge in the store opposite.

The eyeballs hissed, swooping down on the individuals. Dipper grinned, listening to the screams fading in the distance as he travelled.

His ride came to an abrupt stop outside a towering building. The large letters “Gravity Falls Prison” cast a long shadow across the ground.

Dipper watched the prisoners stare at him through the fence, pausing from their escape.

With a chuckle, Dipper jumped off the stag’s back, opening the gates easily.

“Can anyone help me find Gideon Gleeful? I need to talk to him.” He asked. The prisoners stayed silent, staring at him in fright. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“What…are you?” One prisoner asked, his gaze fixed on Dipper’s glowing eye. He frowned, inspecting his nails.

“Not you, that’s for sure.” He replied, folding his arms. “Now where is Gideon?” 

Wordlessly, a man pointed to the building with a shaking hand. Dipper smiled.

“Thank you.” He walked past them quickly, looking up at the building.

“Gideon!” He yelled. He jumped upwards, floating in the air. “Gideon! I need to talk to you!” With a flick of his wrist, the wall caved in, and the prisoners inside yelled in surprise.

He stepped onto the floor, making his way through the twisting halls. He was sure Mabel had said he was on the fifth floor.

“Dipper Pines?!” Dipper span around, spotting the kid staring at him in shock. “What –“

“I’m not here to talk.” Already the boy was getting on his nerves, and he didn’t think he could hold his temper for long. “I’m here to make a deal on the behalf of Bill Cipher.”

“You work with Bill Cipher?” Gideon asked, voice trembling. Dipper grinned.

“Yes.” He snapped his fingers, and a table and chairs appeared in a burst of fire. Dipper sat down, motioning for Gideon to do the same.

“Now, as you can see, Weirdmaggedon is in full swing.” Dipper began. “But people are…not very happy about the new development.” He had to word this carefully. Make Gideon feel like he was in control, or he wouldn’t do it at all.

“And what do you want me to do about that?” The kid asked, his piggy eyes twinkling. Dipper wanted to strangle him.

“We need someone to keep the people in order.” He cast a sly glance at the boy. “A king, if you will.”

He had won. Gideon’s eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly.

“You have yourself a deal!” He cried out. Dipper grinned, holding out a flaming hand. Gideon held out his, but snatched it back with a frown.

“Only if I get something in return.” He said cockily. Dipper gritted his teeth, forcing a smile.

“Well, every king needs a queen.” He suggested, looking down at his nails. “And what better queen would there be than Mabel herself?”

“That would be just beautiful…” Gideon whispered. He thrust out his hand, shaking it with Dipper’s. “Deal!”

The flames coiled around Gideon’s arm and flickered out. Dipper stood up, grinning.

“Good doing business with you.” The teen walked over to the hole in the wall, casting a glance back at the kid. He really thought he was in control of this situation, which amused him greatly.

“Get to work as soon as possible, and I will give you Mabel.” He said. He stepped out of the hole, landing on his stag’s head, which had been waiting for him loyally. Gideon’s eyes bulged at the sight of the creature.

“See you soon!” Dipper yelled as his deer began to leave, waving at the younger.

Once out of sight, he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“That was too easy.” He muttered, watching the world burn around him.


	20. End of a Line

Fire raged beneath him, destroying the last of the town. Dipper watched for a few moments before stepping inside the great pyramid floating beside him. He gave his stag a quick pat before closing the door, breathing in deeply.

It was the first time he had actually been inside the pyramid, and he could safely say he wasn’t disappointed. The smooth, obsidian walls stretched upwards, glinting in the half light. It was plain, not filled with useless clutter, and Dipper liked it.

His shoes tapped rhythmically as he began to walk, inspecting the area as he went. Doors opened around him, letting him take a quick look at each one. Every room was completely different, as if it was taken from another world. It fascinated Dipper, and he reminded himself to take a proper look at them all once he reported back to Bill.

Speaking of the yellow demon, his cackles were slowly growing louder as he moved further down the halls; all Dipper needed to do was follow them.

Pushing open a large door, Dipper was greeted with the brightest room he had seen so far; bright walls, flashing lights and a great stone throne in the centre.

And then there were the demons, laughing with drinks in their hands or pointing down at the humans with joy. Dipper entered the room, letting himself relax.

“Well well well well well! Look who it is!” Bill was suddenly behind him but, now used to these sudden appearances, Dipper turned casually, smiling.

“It was done in a few seconds. You were right.” He told the demon. “He _is_ an idiot.”

“Knew it! Everything is falling into place! Just as I planned!” Bill laughed. The other demons laughed with him, and Dipper was giggling himself.

“Look! I’ve got something to show you!” Bill said once he could compose himself. He pointed his cane to the further side of the room, where the stone throne was standing.

Dipper walked over to it slowly, tilting his head. Closer now, he could see the twisted bodies and fear-struck faces all pieced together, making up the throne itself. Dipper crouched, tracing a finger over one of the faces. It was familiar, but he found that he couldn’t remember her name at all. He looked over at the others next to her, and it was almost the same case – only one he could identify as Sheriff Blubs, one of the members of the local law enforcement. He frowned, mildly concerned at this.

“Why can’t I remember some of these names?” He asked Bill, who was hovering beside him.

“That’s a bit more complicated.” Bill began. “When you learn magic at a skill level like this, you tend to forget parts about your past life to make up for it! Don’t worry! It’s just the useless human memories!” The triangle explained. Dipper nodded, standing upright.

“That’s fair.” The teen looked up at the throne again. “Are these all the townspeople?”

“Almost!” Bill replied eagerly. “There’s a few left, who are probably trying to plot my defeat or something. But I’ll have the whole collection eventually.”

“Speaking of plotting your defeat…” Pyronica said from the other side of the room, peering through one of the windows. “Humans are flying towards us, fast.”

“Right on time!” Bill floated on top of his throne, relaxing. “Let them come!”

The demons stood out of the way as the humans smashed through the window. Dipper recognised a lot of them, like Mabel, Stan, Soos, Wendy, Pacifica and surprisingly, Gideon. The others he couldn’t remember names too well, but their faces were definitely familiar.

Dipper watched from beside the throne in amusement as the scrambled to their feet, holding makeshift weapons. Well, at least the effort was there.

“Leave Stan and Mabel to me.” Dipper muttered to the demon. “You can have fun with the rest.”

“Well well well well well!” Bill shouted happily, leaning forward in his throne. “What do we have here!”

“We came here to stop you, you one-eyed jerk!” Wendy shouted, holding her axe in front of her. The girl’s eyes glanced at Dipper, who raised an eyebrow. “And take Dipper back!”

“Yeah! Stop controlling him!” Soos joined in, staring at the boy in question in shock.

“Excuse me?” Dipper asked, as the demons cackled around them all.

“Good luck with that! Hey, didn’t expect to see you here Gideon!” Bill asked, dismissing Wendy’s words. The kid clenched his fists, making Dipper chuckle. _Now_ he was thinking for himself? A bit too late, but he appreciated the effort made.

“This is not the way I want the world to be, Cipher!” Gideon turned to Dipper, pointing dramatically. “You tricked me!”

“No I didn’t.” Dipper responded calmly. “In fact, you’ve actually fulfilled your end of the deal.” He grinned.

“W-What?”

“All of you meatsacks are here together, wrapped in a big present!” Bill laughed. “So thanks Gideon! You did me a good favour!”

“No wait –!”

“You think we’re just going to hand ourselves over to you?!” Pacifica asked angrily. “You think we’re here to give up?!”

“No.” Bill gestures to his chair. “But these guys didn’t want give up either…”

Pacifica’s eyes fell onto the throne, and she screamed, stumbling back. She fell into an old man’s arms – old man McGucket, Dipper remembered.

“Really, it’s kind of you to hand yourselves over to me like this!” Bill began to rise in the air and the humans grouped together in fear. “You made me laugh, which is always a bonus! But now I’m bored!” With a snap of his fingers, most of the humans rose into the air stiffly. Dipper watched as they were changed into tapestry, their horror-struck faces permanently displayed for all to see.

“No!” Mabel screamed, and Stan held her back tightly. The only other survivor was Gideon, who had turned white.

Bill cast a glance over at Dipper, signalling it was his turn. Dipper gave a nod, walking slowly towards them in the shocked silence.

He looked at his family remains one last time; Stan’s heartbroken, regretful face, Mabel’s shocked and fearful one. He chose Mabel first, feeling some emotion stir inside him for the older.

“Dipper, you have to stop this!” Mabel tried. Dipper only smiled, grabbing her chin and pulling her towards him.

“I don’t think that’s going to work, do you?” He asked. “After all you’ve done for me, why should I let you go?”

“Dipper –“

“It’s all your fault, all of this.” He grinned. “If you actually liked me, trusted me – none of this could’ve happened, maybe.”

Mabel’s eyes widened with tears, but they we cold and lifeless in Dipper’s heart, producing no sympathy.

“So you know what I’m going to do with you now?” Dipper asked quietly. He let go of her chin, pushing her onto the ground. “I’m going to make sure you see everything you know get destroyed, all because of your own selfish wants…”

“Dipper please!” Stan shouted, running towards him. Dipper easily stopped him, holding him up in the sky.

“No!” Mabel screamed as Dipper’s hand began to glow a bright green. “NO!”

With a snarl, Dipper pressed his hand against her chest, digging his nails into her skin. The light flashed around her body, blinding him for a few seconds.

He felt her body shrink until it could fit in his hand, stiff and wooden. The light faded, and Dipper uncurled his hand.

There, resting on his palm, lay a small, wooden doll, with Mabel’s features. It was simple, with two black eyes and a wobbly smiley face, and the edges were rough, not professional.

And yet, when Dipper closed his eyes, he could hear a rapid heartbeat under the wood.

“Hello, Mabel…” he whispered.

“Pines! What did you do?!” Gideon screamed as Stan looked on with shock. Dipper grinned, and the demons began to laugh hysterically.

“You wanted your queen, didn’t you?” Dipper asked the child. He tossed the doll over to him with a chuckle. “Here you go! My end of the deal!”

“Mabel!” Gideon cupped the doll in his hands and glared at him angrily. “You! You’ll pay for this!”

“Will I?” Dipper asked. In one swift movement, Dipper shot a burst of magic at Gideon.

In the next moment, another doll clattered to the ground, striking a likeness to the kid that once stood in its place.

He barely noticed Stan fall to the ground and run out of the door in fear.

Silently, Dipper walked over to the two dolls, grabbing Mabel and shoving it in his pocket. The other he kicked to Bill’s feet with a grin.

“Have fun!” He grinned. Bill picked the doll up eagerly, already pulling off one of its arms.

“Oh we will!” The demon said darkly, his voice deep and gritty.

With a nod, Dipper began to trace Stan’s steps casually, knowing there was no way out.

Sure enough, he turned the corner and found the elder sat against the wall, head in his hands.

“You’ve come to kill me, haven’t you?” Stan asked quietly. Dipper stared down at him.

“Possibly.” He replied. They stared in silence for a while, and Dipper was once again stopped by the emotions stirring within him. Stan was cruel to him, always had been, but the man before him was broken, and regretful. He had lived beyond his loved ones, watching them all suffer immeasurably.

“For what it’s worth…” Stan spoke in barely a whisper. “…I’m sorry.”

Dipper’s eyes widened, his fist clenching in his hand.

“I’m sorry for being a jerk to you, and driving you to this. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most.” Stan sighed brokenly. “I’ve made many mistakes in my life…but the worst of them was letting you down.”

A lone tear fell from Stanley Pines’ eye, splashing to the ground silently. Any words died on Dipper’s lips, and he was left in a swirling mess of emotions.

“It’s too late to let you go…” Dipper said quietly. “…I can’t let you go.”

“I understand.” Stan looked up at him, eyes shadowed with grief. “It’s what you have to do.”

“Stop.” The last human fragments of Dipper’s soul were coming together, making him feel a small regret he hadn’t felt in a while. “Stop…understanding…” he whispered.

Stan stared up at him silently. Dipper closed his eyes, unable to look at his face anymore.

“I’m going to forget you eventually.” Dipper told his Grunkle. “One day I’m going to open my eyes and not know who you are. And I’m not going to remember this day.” He opened his eyes again. A dagger formed in his hand, glinting.

“I’m going to give you a choice.” Dipper said. The dagger was dropped beside Stan with a clatter. Stan looked up at Dipper, expression unreadable.

“You can either use that dagger to end your own suffering forever…” Dipper began. A light appeared beside him, revealing a swirling portal. “…or you can start again.”

“Start again?” Stan asked in confusion.

“This portal takes you to an alternate universe where everything starts the same, apart from the fact that you had a heart attack a few days before we arrived in Gravity Falls.” Dipper explained quietly. “No one knows of your death, and it will be easy to make the exchange.” Dipper paused, staring at his Grunkle.

“You get another chance.”

Stan looked from the dagger to the portal, then back at Dipper.

“You have thirteen minutes to decide or I will have to kill you.” Dipper said quietly. He turned his back on his Grunkle for the last time, walking slowly down the hall.

He never saw what Stanley Pines chose.


	21. Lost Humanity

Dipper composed himself before turning the corner into the great hall, straightening his suit and brushing his hair back. His birthmark was now in full view, and he found he let it stay that way.

Pushing Grunkle Stan’s final words to the back of his mind forevermore, he turned the corner and opened the obsidian doors.

He was greeted with shrieking laughter and the distinct smell of smoke. Sure enough, as Dipper entered the room further he spotted something burning on the floor with a circle of demons laughing around it.

“Pine Tree! This is the best part! Come watch!” Bill beckoned him, and shouts of agreements came from the other demons. With a roll of his eye accompanied with a smirk, Dipper joined the circle. He looked around, his eye eventually locking onto the source of their amusement.

He found himself staring down at none other than the doll of Li’l Gideon Gleeful, which was burning in a haze of blue flame. Strangely enough, the doll was burning slowly – nowhere near as quick as wood should do.

The painted doll also has a few limbs missing and it’s eyes had been scratched off. Blood was leaking from its joints, dripping down into a pool beneath it.

Through the crackling of the flames, Dipper could still hear the child’s rapid heartbeat. If he listened close enough, the noise was also accompanied by a long, pained scream.

Good. So he was still alive in there.

“You thought you could just betray me, did you?!” Bill shouted down at the doll. He slammed his cane down onto the doll’s chest, burning a hole through it. “Sorry to tell you, but that didn’t work out well did it?!”

With a snap of his fingers, the flames died. Bill grabbed the doll, his form shifting into a red pyramid with a blazing eye.

“And now you’re going to have to stay with me forever…” Bill growled, his voice deep and echoing.

A moment later he was back to his usual form, shoving the doll under his hat.

“Anyway, now back to business.” Bill said casually, straightening his bow tie. He turned to Dipper. “You dealt with Fez?”

Dipper nodded.

“Gone.” He replied shortly.

“And Shooting Star?”

“Here.” Dipper pointed to his pocket, where the doll’s head was showing. “She watched everything you just did too.”

“Brilliant!” Bill cackled, floating into the air. “You know what that means, right?” He asked the demons around him. They all began to chatter, glowing in excitement.

“It’s time to spread this chaos worldwide!” Bill announced happily. He broke a hole in the ceiling of the pyramid. “So please, knock yourselves out! The world is ours!”

Dipper joined the demons as they flew into the sky, letting himself smile. Below him, Gravity Falls was burning, stuck in a purgatory of chaos and ruin. He grinned, his pointed teeth glinting in the red light that had consumed the town. His next stop would be his hometown, of course, and he would slowly expand outwards –

“What?!” An angered shriek was his only warning before he almost slammed into the rest of the demons. Eye narrowing, he looked up, spotting the problem.

A thick, glowing barrier was stopping any of them from leaving Gravity Falls, causing half the demons to slam into the wall unexpectedly. Dipper gritted his teeth, tracing the barrier with his hand. Ruins flashed warningly at his touch, burning his fingertips slightly.

He was so engrossed in studying it that he didn’t realise Bill had made his way over to them, glowing a dangerous red. He grew several arms and, in his anger, began to slam all fists onto the wall in an act to break it. A gruesome mouth opened up in the centre of his body and shot a blast of fire with a snarl.

“After all these years…THIS STOPS ME!” The demon was enraged, and probably would have started attacking them if Dipper hadn’t spoken up.

“I remember this in one of the journals.” He said quietly. Immediately, Bill calmed down, shrinking back to his normal size.

“You do?” He asked in surprise.

“Yeah. An equation of some sort.” Dipper replied. He rubbed his head, feeling a stabbing headache come on. It was annoying him. “And I could probably solve it if we found the journal with the equation in it.”

“And how long would this take?” Bill asked, eye narrowed.

“Once the equation is found, probably a day or so.” He calculated. “Stanford’s equations are all the same.” The teen rubbed his head again, gritting his teeth against the pain.

“Then lead the way Pine Tree!” Bill cheered up immensely, and the other demons cheered behind him.

Dipper nodded with a grin, whistling for his deer.

At that moment his headache decided to peak, making him black out for a few seconds. He felt himself fall onto something hard, and he guessed it was his stag’s head.

The moment passed, and the headache cleared up entirely, leaving Dipper confused. He reached up to brush his hair out of the way, but felt his fingers connect to a long bone of some kind.

“Finally, I was wondering when you would start looking a bit more like a demon!” Bill shouted, floating down to his level.

“Horns! I told you!” Pyronica yelled happily, turning to the square demon beside her. “Kryptos you owe me three souls!”

Dipper traced his hand over the two new editions of his body, raising a brow.

“Antlers.” He muttered. He looked down at his stag. “Are you kidding me?”

“Hey! You’re a match!” Bill pointed from the animal to Dipper with a laugh. “Lucky you.”

“Moving on…” Dipper stood up. He wobbled slightly, not used to the weight of the antlers, but quickly gained his balance. He looked at Bill. “You want to destroy the world, right?”

“Of course, of course!” The demon answered. With a grin, Dipper directed his deer to the shack, closing his eye as the wind rushed past his face.

As expected, the journey was short, and soon he and Bill were standing at the entrance of the once proud Mystery Shack. Now it was just a pile of ruin, blood staining the walls and wood splintered on the ground.

The floorboards creaked when Dipper entered, his eyes scanning the shelves for the journal he had been obsessing over for the summer.

“I think it looks better this way.” Bill commented, poking at a support beam. The whole thing crashed to the ground, forcing Dipper to leap out of the way of the falling wood.

“I think I left it upstairs.” Dipper knew Ford would’ve had chance to move it before his death. He strode up the battered staircase, raking his new claws across the walls as he went. Usually, he found that his demonic features didn’t usually show unless he was angry or excited, but the thought of being in the Mystery Shack again was enough reason for them to appear, in his opinion. He now hated every inch of this place – the sooner he got out, the better.

So he grinned when he spotted the crumbling journal on his desk, just where he left it.

“I preferred your room when it was on fire.” Bill commented. The demon was inspecting his room, occasionally laughing at an object or two. Dipper nodded in agreement, flicking through the pages of the book.

“It certainly gave it more personality.” He added. Finally, he found the page he was looking for and grinned. “Gotcha.”

Carelessly, he tore the page out, then burnt the rest of the book where it lay. He watched as the pages curled and blackened until it was a pile of ash.

“You got it?” Bill laughed, snatching the page off him. “This is it?!”

“Yes.” Dipper didn’t bother walking out of the shack, happily setting fire to the remaining wood instead. It exploded in a blaze of green around them, finally destroyed.

“Give me a day or two to solve it.” Dipper said. He wasn’t looking at Bill, but rather the fire growing around him. “Then the world can finally burn.”

Bill began to laugh hysterically, and Dipper found himself joining in with just as much enthusiasm. Once he started, he found he couldn’t stop.

In that second, the last piece of humanity in him shattered. Dipper didn’t notice, laughing loudly into the red skies around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter next week :) hope you enjoy


	22. Epilogue

“It’s been a while since we have talked, hasn’t it dear sister? Have you noticed?”

Clawed hands grabbed a knife from the desktop, tucking it into his pocket.

“I have been very busy since we last spoke, and I’m glad to say my efforts haven’t been wasted.”

Long, black antlers grazed the slopes ceiling as he stood up, staring out of the window.

“Everyone is dead now, if you wanted to know. All turned into stone. I think I saw one of your friends yesterday, but I can’t be sure. My memory has been fading lately.” He paused. “So has my memory of you. One day you will just be a doll with no purpose. I will miss our talks, I think.”

Watching the world burn with a sadistic smile, Dipper’s eyes moved to the doll facing the darkened glass.

“It’s great, isn’t it? And soon…” Dipper’s glowing eye turning to the stacked pieces of paper on the ground, covered in equations. “…soon everyone will get to see.” He chuckled, turning the wooden doll towards him.

“Why so sad, Mabel?” He asked, holding his sister up to his face. “What’s wrong?” He let out a laugh, tossing her onto the desk. She rolled onto her side, still looking at Dipper.

“Come on, you know what day it is!” He grabbed the blood-stained woodcutter’s axe from the wall. “It’s our birthday! How could you not remember?” He scolded. The axe was light in his hands and he stroked its handle. “And we’re getting the best birthday present imaginable as well. How ungrateful you are.” Dipper slotted the axe on his back. He picked up the doll in his hand, claws digging into her wooden face.

“The world is going to burn today.” He whispered in her ear, holding her tight. “The world is going to end and start anew. The way I want it.”

He cupped the doll in both hands and hovered in the air with a grin. Rows of pointed teeth glinted in the half-light as his smile stretched.

“I actually solved our dear Grunkle’s equation a day ago, but Bill held his plans off a day so I could have a birthday treat! And now the day has come.”

Dipper paused, listening to the excited shriek of demons. He looked at the doll. “You hear that? They’re excited, and understandably. After all, we have the rest of infinity to enjoy ourselves…”

Dipper trailed off, staring at the mirror in in front of him. The doll dropped to the ground as he floated closer, staring at his reflection intently. Scarred face, pointed teeth, spiked horns – all began to change slowly before him. His eye widened as a scared younger boy was watching him, copying his movements. He pressed his monstrous hand against the glass, and his previous self did too.

“No!” Dipper screamed in fury, his fist colliding with the mirror. The image in front of him shattered, the mirror shards scattered around the empty frame. Only one remained.

The last piece was reflecting his own eye, narrowed in fury and glowing brightly. Panting, he gave a nod, watching it fall from the frame and join the others.

Slowly he turned around, a smile inching onto his features until it took over completely. He picked up the wooden doll in his hand, the words “ _Trust No One_ ” brighter than ever on his palm.

“Happy Birthday, Mabel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the end of it.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone that has read this…it’s actually way more popular than I was expecting, and I couldn’t have done it without you guys. All your comments/votes/kudos/views have helped me complete this story. I hope you are as satisfied as I am with the ending.
> 
> What happens now?
> 
> Well, I’ll probably finish up my DanPlan one shots book before starting anything else, but when I do, what do you want?
> 
> I’ve been thinking of doing some more gravity falls stuff, like a monster AU with a darker themes than just “look we monsters now yeah!”
> 
> But I’m also thinking of doing other things, like BBS/Vanoss crew things or other stuff, depending on what you want. Collage has been busy lately so updates will be slower from now on, but (without promoting or patting myself on the back) if your interested in any of the fandoms I write for (you can probably guess from my story list) then it’s probably worth the follow of you want to keep up to date.
> 
> (But seriously. Don’t follow if you don’t want to.)
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading this junk until the very end. It means more than I can write, for once in my life.
> 
> See you around!


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